Castle of Glass
by Hawkllama
Summary: Sasuke's return to Konoha isn't the happy reunion that most imagine it would be. Especially since Sakura tried to kill him. And to add to the troubles, going on a mission with the man you hate and almost killed isn't exactly a joyride. But it's not fun for the Uchiha either. Especially if you are supposed to marry said girl. Eventual SasuSaku and eventual AU. Slight NaruHina
1. Chapter 1

**Hello there! If you clicked on this because it sounds interesting, Yayy! I've had this idea for awhile, but I wanted to finish my other stories before I started a third. So here's chapter one. Enjoy!**

**Edit 2: I'm going to post this chapter now, since the manga is really super close to being over. And then my biblical writings of wisdom would've been all for nothing. Without further ado...I present the chapter! (As I write this, I don't have a name yet. I will in a bit though, Lol. Inceptionnnn...)**

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha was not heartless.

Yea, maybe it seemed that way, but would a heartless man never return to his village after a extremely taxing war? Probably not. Would a heartless man...? Well, Sakura couldn't really think of anything else.

Not that she really tried too hard though...

Five years after the war, and the village and it's occupants were perfectly fine. Or at least near perfect.

After the war, the Konoha 11 had some gaps and holes to fill in their hearts. The death of Neji Hyuuga still weighed heavily upon them. Not only his death, but the countless other lives given. These deaths were mourned in silence, then slowly were forgotten as the village carried on with their daily lives.

However, Naruto still felt as if these deaths were his fault. No matter how many times Sakura, Sai, Yamato, Kakashi and the others tried getting through, nothing worked. The blonde was abnormally downcast. He no longer was the bright cheery boy any longer. All those deaths, in his mind, were his fault. If only he would've tried harder, and defeated Madara/Kaguya sooner. Add that to the fact that after they did win, Sasuke disappeared without a trace.

Naruto took to the bars, drinking so much alcohol, it made Tsunade's drinking look like child's play. This behavior was so unlike the once radiant, almost stupid, bravery that inspired everyone. Suddenly, it seemed as if the sun had left the world. Without the buoyant and loud blonde cheering everyone up, the world seemed very desolate and bleak.

Oddly enough, the only person that impacted him the most happened to be the quiet Hinata Hyuuga. Perhaps because she moved on past her beloved cousin's death, maybe it was she managed to grow out of her shyness, whatever it was, she managed to bring Naruto out of his depression.

When he finally walked into the Hokage mansion, Hinata in tow, clothes cleaned, looking as he once did, Tsunade assumed that it was a trick of some sort. But noticing how he looked reinvigorated, and how he clutched onto Hinata's hand as if it were his only lifeline, she realized it.

Naruto was back to normal. And he was raring to go look for his friend once again. Who was Tsunade to stop him?

Calling in the Konoha 11, Tsunade ordered a S-rank mission to go and find Sasuke Uchiha and bring him back to the village. It was just like before, except now they had the girls, and were missing one man from the original mission...

This time though, they would _not _fail. They would bring Sasuke back, whether he wanted to or not!

* * *

Naruto could be such a pushy bitch sometimes.

All Sasuke wanted was some space to think. Seriously, he killed his brother, gets the entire story about his fucked up past, and Naruto expects him to just prance on back to Konoha like everything is fucking dandy? Nope. Not a chance in hell.

Immediately after winning, when everyone was distracted, Sasuke slipped away leaving no trail. In the heat of the battle, he could think clearly. His thoughts weren't encumbered by those intrusive and depressing thoughts and memories. He had other things to concentrate on, such as how to defeat his opponent and how to not get stabbed.

But after they killed Kaguya, all of those thoughts came rushing back, nearly crippling Sasuke with the flood of emotions after being so empty for so long.

He barely made it out of the battlefield, away from the others before he began to suffer and break down mentally. Those emotions of anger, guilt, sadness, and confusion were eating away at his soul...If he even had one. Especially after all the shit that he's done.

Spending 3, nearly 4, years in the village of Amegakure, he managed to get a hold of his emotions and also managed to scrape up some information on his clan and dead his brother. Amegakure proved to be a very nice village. Rainy, but nice.

When he arrived, no one questioned him too much. The most questions asked was when he was attempting to rent an apartment. And when he went to the bar, where he met a nosy Cloud shinobi who seemed to have nothing better to do than grill Sasuke, the bartender kicked the cloud ninja out for, 'being too annoying and pushy'.

When Sasuke asked why he did that, the bartender shrugged saying, "It seems that everyone's had a taste of Hell. You look like you've been through Hell and back a couple of times. I figured you could use a break, and besides, you looked ready to beat the shit outta that guy."

After that, Sasuke felt a strange kinship to the not-overly-friendly bartender. Plus, since he went to that bar practically every night, he became known and word got around not to mess with him. (The cloud ninja stupidly came back with a few friends, and Sasuke dealt with them outside of the bar easily, not a scratch upon the Uchiha.)

But after 3 years, word got around that some Leaf ninja were looking around in the village for a fugitive. Sasuke guessed pretty easy who those ninja were.

Upon hearing this news, Sasuke decided that leaving would be for the best. Packing up his things, he dragged them along to the bar for one last drink.

He'd been there for maybe half an hour before some newcomers walked in, drenched. Unluckily for him, it happened to be a Leaf shinobi. She had pale lavender eyes, so Sasuke guessed that she was a Hyuuga. Trailing behind her slowly was...Naruto. Tensing up, he tried his best not to bolt like a scared rabbit.

His best bet would be to try to inconspicuously leave in a little bit. Not to soon, or else they'd notice him.

The two sat down a little ways down from Sasuke. They sat there for a bit, staring at the counter dejectedly before the blonde finally burst.

"Damn it Hinata! We still haven't found him! We've already been looking for 8 months now!" Naruto banged his hand on the counter top, earning a few annoyed glances from the other customers.

"It's alright Naruto," The girl named Hinata soothed. "This is the best lead we've had in...in forever. We will find him. You didn't give up before, so don't give up now!"

Naruto sighed, and ran his hand through his messy, and dripping hair. "I hope we find him soon. I really need to get back home."

"Why would you need to get home?" The girl asked. Naruto sighed. "Nothing, don't worry about Hina-chan."

Sasuke eavesdropped for a bit longer, then decided that leaving now would be good. Glancing at the bartender, who had become strangely good at reading Sasuke's expressions, he silently said goodbye while also willing him to distract the two ninja to his right.

"Hello there! What can I get you two?" The bartender boisterously asked. Grinning at the two, he strategically managed to direct Hinata and Naruto's attention away from Sasuke who immediately disappeared through the door.

Sasuke walked quickly down the street, his cloak thrown over him and his bag-

Was still at the bar.

The clothes themselves weren't too much of a loss, but if Naruto had the help of Kakashi's stupid dog Pakkun...

He couldn't afford to think about that. he'd take care of that when the time came. As of right now, he really needed to get out of here.

He did plan on returning to the village, he just hadn't worked out the finer details. He would go back eventually, but right now-

Suddenly, he ran straight into some blonde tourist knocking her over. He really needs to stop smelling the goddamn roses, and pay attention.

"I'm sorry!" The woman said, standing up. She brushed off her cloak, which was pointless considering that she was trying to brush off water, and they were standing in the wettest village ever to exist. And it was currently raining.

"It's fine." Sasuke brushed off her apologies. Underneath her cloak, he caught a glimpse of her skimpy purple outfit with netting on both her knees and elbows.

Sasuke tried to walk past the woman, but was stopped when she grabbed his arm.

"What?" He snapped.

"Sasuke." She breathed. Her excitement was obvious, as her grip tightened unnecessarily, her nails digging through the fabric.

"Who are you?" He asked. Taking a closer look, he noticed how she looked slightly familiar.

"That doesn't concern you." The woman replied coolly. He took note of how her hair was in a ponytail, her blue eyes, and arrogant and judging expression.

"Ino Yamanaka." Sasuke said. Ino stiffened.

"How did you figure-?" Before she could react, Sasuke had knocked her out, and set her on the wet ground. Activating his Sharingan, he immediately took off across the tall buildings, hoping that it wasn't too late to escape.

Suddenly, a few kunais flew at him from his left. Deflecting them with ease, he looked to see who attacked him. Sensing no one, he didn't immediately realize that it was a distraction.

Dodging to the side, a Rasen-shruiken flew past him, Naruto right behind it.

So much for escaping subtly...

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled. Sasuke stopped on top of one of the skyscrapers. He heard Naruto land behind him. The rain continued to pour relentlessly.

"Naruto." He replied calmly.

"Why? Where did you go after the war? What's wrong with you?!" Naruto ran at Sasuke's turned back. Sasuke merely reappeared behind Naruto.

"Why are you searching for me?" Sasuke asked quietly.

"Because you're my friend!" He yelled, whipping around to face the Uchiha.

Sasuke was silent.

"Why did you leave?" Naruto asked.

"I needed to think some things over."

"For three goddamn years?!" He yelled.

Sasuke went silent again. How could he make his former teammate see that he was falling apart at the seams?

"I learned the truth." Sasuke finally said. Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"What truth?" He asked warily.

"My clan...Itachi...Madara and the First Hokage...I learned about my past. I learned about the horrors that my clan committed. I needed time to think about all of this."

Naruto was the one who was silent. This was the most personal and emotional information Sasuke had told to Naruto in years. He didn't want to accidentally scare Sasuke away.

"I just...couldn't take it." Sasuke whispered. Naruto could barely hear him over the rain. He was staring at Sasuke, dumbfounded. Sasuke had never _ever_ broken down like this.

"The pain of knowing what my family took part in, what I did to my brother...it was too fucking much. I needed space. I didn't want to..." Sasuke deactivated his Sharingan.

Naruto watched his old friend. In those few moments, he realized that Sasuke was just a boy like him. A scared, lost, confused, and lonely boy who needed a family and friends for comfort.

Sasuke suddenly sunk to his knees, and looked down. Naruto made no move to help him up. He could see the loss in Sasuke's dark eyes. And whether or not those were tears or just the rain rolling down his cheeks, Naruto would never know.

"You're not alone."

Sasuke looked up slowly, the rain shower turning steadily turning into a drizzle.

"What?" He asked.

Naruto smiled gently. "You're never alone. No one is ever alone. Especially not you Sasuke. I mean, c'mon look at you! You have me, Sakura, and Kakashi-sensei on your side! Even if the whole world was against you, and I was your only friend, you wouldn't be alone!"

The rain slowed, and finally disappeared.

"Sasuke," Naruto walked over to the kneeling Uchiha. Extending out a hand he continued, "Come home."

Sasuke stared at Naruto's out stretched palm. Finally, he grabbed the hand and was hoisted up. Before he could react and move away, Naruto pulled him into a hug.

Too shocked to do anything, Sasuke just stood there. Naruto squeezed Sasuke.

"We miss you man." Naruto muttered. "Don't be such a teme."

Slowly, hesitantly, Sasuke moved his arms to return the hug to the blonde.

For the first time in eight years, the relentless downpour in Amegakure stopped.

* * *

**Well, that's chapter 1! Kind of just to fill you in on what's what. The next chapter is going to be much more exciting than this. And just to be clear... *Ahem* THIS IS A SASUSAKU STORY. And I own none of these fantabulous characters. Just the plot is mine! :)**

**Until next time, see ya later! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello there! Here is chapter 2 of my SasuSaku st****ory! As promised this chapter shall be more interesting! Enjoy!**

**Edit 2: I forgot to mention last chapter that these new edits are me writing now. Everything else has been prewritten. And I'm going to update every Sunday once a week. This chapter is just going up now because it's Sunday. But yea...so that's it.**

* * *

After they retrieved Sasuke from Amegakure, things started to look up. At first, the villagers found it hard to accept the estranged and traitorous Uchiha, but they eventually came around.

Shortly after his return, Naruto proposed to his girlfriend Hinata Hyuuga. Of course, the wedding was grand because Naruto would have no less for his beautiful wife.

Shikamaru was, of course, now the lead strategist for Konoha. But that didn't mean that he still didn't hang around with the diplomat of Suna, Temari. Supposedly, those two had been dating for a while.

Ino and Sai were also going out. Or so Sakura had heard.

As for the rest of their friends, Sakura wasn't completely sure. Sasuke, for certain though, was a single man. Which meant that his fangirls were throwing themselves at the still attractive man. However, Ino and Sakura no longer fell into that category. Ino, because she was dating, and Sakura...She really had no reason why not.

Probably because she just didn't feel like that anymore. It was hard to like a man who constantly pushed you away.

Anyways, Naruto and Hinata's wedding was fantastic, and apparently so was their honeymoon because a month later Hinata announced her pregnancy. Sakura herself had checked. There was a baby shower, and when the nine months were up, they had a adorable little boy named Minato after Naruto's father.

The next year, the friends had all established lives. And as of yet, no one had died on a mission.

Yet...

Sakura shook her head. She really needed to stop thinking these sad thoughts and get this paperwork done. Now she understood what Naruto felt like...

"Haruno-sensei!" A voice yelled down the hallway towards Sakura's office. Sakura looked up. Did she think too soon? Had something horrible happened?

"Yes?" It was her student, Ayane Hayashi who had been one of the select few to pass Sakura's strict doctoring program. She had shown the most potential out of the rest of the 10, so Sakura had asked if she wanted to be her personal student. Ayane had gladly accepted with many thank you's. Two years later, and here they are.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you, but she's been bugging me for centuries! I tried to tell her no, but then she threatened to come and find you herself-!"

"Who exactly are you speaking of?" Sakura asked.

"Ino-sensei! She just barged in here, saying how she needed to see you-" Sakura held up her hand, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Okay," She sighed tiredly. "I'm on my way down there now." Ayane nodded.

"Ayane?" Sakura asked as she grabbed her coat. "Could you please get these to Naruto by 6?"

Ayane frowned. "But you never let me take care of your personal stuff!"

Sakura yawned saying, "I know. I'm just assuming that Ino is going to drag me to some bar...Ugh. I probably won't have enough time. Anyways, have a good night!" Sakura walked past Ayane and out of her office towards the stairs.

She made her way down three sets of stairs, then walked to the front desk in the lobby, only to see Ino flirting with Sakura's other student Ryota.

"So, do you wanna come with my friend and me to the bar?" Ino sat on the edge of the counter, and scooted closer to Ryota.

Looking uncomfortable, he tried to move his work away from her. "Um...I'm sorry, but I can't-"

"Ino!" Sakura called waving to her blonde friend. Ino looked up from the poor guy, and when she saw Sakura she grinned maliciously.

"Hey Forehead! I'm getting you a date!" Ino said turning back to Ryota. "So that's my friend." Ino said, grabbing Ryota's face and turning his gaze to look at Sakura.

"Uh...Where?" He asked. Ino groaned.

"The girl with the huge forehead! The one with the bubblegum pink hair!" Ino shook his head with her hand. Ryota's eyes widened in fear as he whipped away from Ino, and began to furiously scribble down his work.

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Seriously?! She isn't that bad is she?!" Ino said looking insulted that her friend was considered unattractive.

"Ino, that's my student, Ryota Matsuda. Ryota, this is my friend, Ino Yamanaka." Sakura smiled inwardly at the look of surprise on Ino's face.

"Oh...Well, never mind then!" Ino stood up quickly. "Find people your own age Ryota!" She ordered.

"I'd be a shame to see such a pretty face waste away in a hospital. I mean, look at Forehead here!" Ino pointed her hand at Sakura.

"She's turned into a monster, spending all her time cooped up in this building! Which is why," Ino moved to stand next to Sakura and linked an arm with hers. "You should get out of this place before you turn into a demon too!"

Ryota blinked. "Okay..."

"Well, let's get going Sakura!" Ino chirped happily and began to pull her friend out of the hospital. Sakura turned back and looked at Ryota, mouthing the words, 'Sorry about her.'

After they walked out Ryota was left looking confused and afraid.

'Poor Ryota...' Sakura thought.

"Well, well, well Sakura! You still have no date! I thought I told you to find a hot guy to bring!" Ino whined. Sakura sighed.

"Ino, you know how hard it is for my personal life when I run the hospital and deal with surgeries all the time!" Sakura defended.

"Don't give me that BS! Honestly Sakura, you're gonna die before you even have sex! Do you understand that?" Ino said.

"Yea, but I don't-"

"Sakura, _you are going to die a virgin!_" Ino stage whispered. Sakura started laughing.

"Seriously Ino," She began. "I wouldn't really mind. I'm fine, honestly!"

"No you are not! You need a man Forehead!" Ino said. " 'Cause I have Sai, Naruto and Hina-chan are married, Temari and Shika-kun are probably dating, and the others all probably have sex lives of their own that I haven't heard of yet! You need to get some!"

Sakura groaned. "I'm not the only one who hasn't 'gotten some' as you put. Have you seen Sasuke with any girls? No!"

"He's a special case! And come to think of it," Ino cast a glance at Sakura. "You and him could-"

"No way in hell! What would make you even _think _that?!" Sakura interrupted the blonde. After what happened that one time...no way would Sasuke and Sakura _ever _be a thing.

"You two would be cute, is all I'm saying! Hey, maybe he's at the bar! If he is...I will force you to go and ask him out!" Ino said, and smile adorning her face.

"Oh god..." Sakura sighed, then suddenly grinned. "He's not going to be there, because he's on a mission!" Sakura fist pumped the air. Ino shrugged.

"I guess we'll just have to find another cute guy for you then!" The she-devil smirked evilly.

The rest of the walk was small talk about other random things. Shopping (Mostly Ino), cute guys (Also mostly Ino), work (Still mostly Ino) and a few other things. Finally, they got to the bar and walked in.

Ino and Sakura went directly to the bar where Ino ordered a glass of wine, and Sakura ordered an entire bottle of sake.

Ino chuckled at the bartender's confused look at Sakura, who's small figure did not give away the fact that she could drink like no other.

"Just get the entire bottle, and bring it to me." Sakura said.

"I'm sorry ma'am but-"

"I'm the head doctor up at Konoha General. I do about 50 things a day, all at the same time. I deal with fussy children and stupid adults. I can open up a person's stomach and remove his kidney's and liver and keep him alive for another month, and you're telling me that you can't just grab a damn bottle of sake and give it to me?"

The man shook his head.

"What bullshit..." Sakura sighed, and then slid a hundred over to the bartender. "Get me the damn bottle before I break your face."

Finally, he relented and brought over the entire bottle. Sakura uncorked it, and then drank half of it in one go.

"Geez Forehead! That strength of yours isn't the only thing you inherited from Tsunade-sama!" Ino said with a chuckle.

"Oh, shut up Pig." Sakura replied with a happy sigh. "Ah...The taste of Heaven." She said, slouching back against the counter-top.

Ino rolled her eyes, then suddenly her expression turned evil.

Noticing this, Sakura immediately sat up. "What?" She stared at Ino suspiciously, and turned towards her.

"Look over yonder dear Forehead and tell me what you see!" Ino said in a singsong voice, and gestured to somewhere over Sakura's shoulder.

Whipping around Sakura looked to see what the hell Ino was talking about. There was no one there- oh shit.

It was Sasuke, sitting at the bar with a shot glass a few seats over from them.

"I told you what I was going to make you do if he was here, didn't I Forehead?" Ino whispered maliciously in Sakura's ear.

"I'm not going to. No way." Sakura said, turning away from her teammate, and back to her bottle of sake.

"Oh yes way!" Ino said.

"What makes you think that I'll do it?"

"I have those pictures of you from that one time."

"What one time?" Sakura asked, nonplussed.

"_That _time." Ino stared, waiting for her to get it. Sakura paled.

"Okay, I'm gonna do it." She stood up, then paused.

"What are you waiting for Forehead? Do it!"

Sakura bit her lip, then suddenly grabbed her bottle. Ino rolled her eyes.

Taking a deep calming breath, Sakura walked over to the Uchiha and sat next to him.

"Hey." She said, putting herself in his personal space. He slowly turned to look at her.

"What the hell are you doing?" He asked, a surprised look on his face. He was probably thinking of that moment oh-so-long-ago too. She shrugged saying, "I have to ask you out, but I'm not going to because I have way too much shit on my plate at work."

Sasuke stared at her.

"So Ino told me to ask you out and I have to make this look believable or else she'll show everyone _those pictures_." Sakura shuddered.

"Anyways, just look like you're disgusted by me, and then move away or something, okay?" Sakura asked. Sasuke took a drink, then waved the bartender over to him.

"Get me another." He ordered. The bartender nodded, and quickly refilled Sasuke's glass.

"Sasuke, help me out here." Sakura whispered, glancing fearfully at Ino, who was watching the pair like a hawk. Sasuke finished that drink too, then finally spoke.

"Naruto wants to see us tomorrow, at the Hokage mansion. He told me to tell you if I saw you."

"Oh..." Sakura said surprised. What did that annoying bundle of blonde want now? "Thanks Sasuke-kun."

"Could you move away from me?" Sakura asked. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"You're the one who sat next to me. Why don't you move?"

"Because this has to look like I asked you out, and you said no. So can you play along? Please?" Sakura clasped her hands and tried her best to look hopeful.

Sasuke sighed, then said, "Hn." He stood up, and grabbing his jacket then slapping some cash on the bar, he walked out.

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief.

"He said _no?!_" Ino screeched in Sakura's ear, making her jump.

"Uh, yea." Sakura took a drink from her bottle finishing it.

"I'm gonna go home, 'kay Pig?"

"What?! Why?!" Ino whined.

"Naruto wants to see me tomorrow."

"Why?"

Sakura shrugged. "It may be a mission, so I want to be well rested." She quickly grabbed her jacket.

"I'll see you later Ino!" She called and walked out.

"We just got here Forehead!" Ino's voice faded behind her as Sakura made her way away from the bar and down the street to her house.

Reaching her house, she unlocked the door and went inside. Taking a quick shower, she fell on her bed. She glanced at the clock. It read 10:40.

Sakura fell asleep wondering why in the world Naruto wanted to see both her and Sasuke. Whatever tomorrow was, hopefully it wasn't anything to bad.

* * *

**End of chapter 2! Hope this was more interesting for ya! And as you're reading this, this is my last day of summer before I start school! :( And I'm going to a different school, so let's see how this goes!**

**Until next time, see ya later! :) **


	3. Chapter 3

**So...two days pass and BANG. School is upon me :/. And as I stated before, I have never been to this school, so I know virtually no one. So as of right now, my writing is my only consolation. (And reading stories too...And a few million other things...XD) However, I have managed to make a few friends so yayy! And now, Enjoy!**

**Edit 2: I'm so tired...**

* * *

Sakura woke up promptly, and immediately got ready for the meeting between her and her teammates. She hoped that it wouldn't take too long, especially considering that she had a hospital to run and didn't have any of Naruto's BS. Even if he was the Hokage, that didn't mean that he didn't pull a few stupid stunts every now and then.

Deciding that the rooftops would be a quick route, Sakura exited through her window and was at the Hokage mansion in an instant. Jumping through the window she saw that Sasuke was already there.

"Hey Sakura-chan! Why do you get to come through the window?" Naruto complained.

"Because I do, that's why." Sakura replied. "Anyways, I'm here now. What did you want Naruto?"

Naruto leaned back in the chair and put his hands behind his head, a cryptic smirk making it's way onto his whiskered face.

"That's the same answer I got from the dobe." Sasuke said.

"Hey! Don't disrespect your Hokage Sasuke! I'm superior to you!"

"You're superior to me in stupidity."

"Teme-chan I swear I'll-"

"Oh shut it." Sakura interrupted. "Just tell us already."

Naruto's smile grew. "We're all going on a mission together as Team 7!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, and Sakura just stared at Naruto.

"That's it? We're going on a mission together? Why didn't you just debrief us instead of wasting time?" Sakura said in annoyance.

Naruto's smile disappeared. "We haven't been on a mission together as a team in forever! I wanted to surprise you guys. I thought you'd appreciate it a bit more..." Naruto mumbled trailing off.

"Of course we do but- Wait, why isn't Kakashi here?" Sakura asked.

"He's on a mission in the Land of Rice Patties. So it's just us three!"

"Alright, well what exactly is our mission?" She said ignoring his enthusiasm.

Perhaps she and Sasuke were being mean to Naruto, but they had other more important things to worry about. Sasuke replaced Danzo as the head ANBU, so he was constantly swamped with missions and paperwork. Clients were constantly requesting "the Last Uchiha" for missions. Even simple missions such as finding a lost animal had a special request for Sasuke. Some of the request were actually fan-mail and hate-mail under the guise of a top-secret document. More than once, Sasuke and Naruto opened one of those supposed 'top secret' folders, only to find a letter written by an angry civillian or a crazed fan-girl. So Sasuke spent his time trying to weed through all of those false papers and the real missions.

Sakura, meanwhile, had taken over as the head doctor for Konoha General. Which meant that she too received fan-mail in disguise as important documents. She received special requests for her to take care of children or to take care of some random civilian. She also had to keep up with every patient who came and went in the hospital. Along with the surgeries that she was doing and the paperwork Sakura spent most nights cooped up in her office, getting under 3 or 2 hours of sleep sometimes.

Which is why Sasuke and Sakura weren't too excited that they had to go on a mission with Naruto. With the three strongest ninja in Konoha gone, the village was bound to be attacked. And if Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto left chances are that when they came back, they'd have even more work to do than before.

That's why Sakura was not excited at all. A mission meant more paperwork and much less sleep.

"So we're leaving at sunset tonight, using the night as cover for our disappearance." Naruto said.

"Where are we going?" Sakura asked impatiently.

"We're going undercover to the Hozukiji prison in the Hidden Grass."

Sakura remembered that that prison was the one that Naruto was sent to. That was when they discovered the treacherous plan of Mui, the man who's family had taken care of the prison for the centuries, which was in fact their intention from the start.

Sakura and Sasuke spoke at the same time.

"Why?"

"Where?"

Naruto sighed dramatically. "Hozukiji is a prison, and we're going their because some strange chakra was sensed recently within the prison."

Sakura's eyebrows furrowed together. "Is it the chakra from the box?" She asked fearfully. They had enough trouble the monster that had been released before. If it managed to escape again...

"No, this has got nothing to do with the box." Naruto said with a smile. "It may just be a false alarm, but the prison requested that we come to check it out. After their little scare that they had, I don't blame them."

Sakura sighed tiredly. It would be fun going on a mission, just like old-times, but she really had a lot of work to do.

"You can't back out Sakura-chan. Sasuke's in, and since I'm your Hokage, my word is law. You have to obey."

Sakura glared at him. "You'd really pull the, 'I'm the Hokage.' card on me? Really?"

Naruto chuckled nervously. "We're leaving at midnight tonight. We don't want anyone to know that the three of us are gone." He suddenly scooted back his chair and walked over to the door. "Hey Sakura-chan..."

"Yes?"

"I need you to get the files." He said, his face turning serious.

"What files?" She asked confused.

"_Those _files." Naruto emphasized. Sakura's face fell into a calm facade of perfection, while her mind began to whir. What exactly did that particular clan have to do with Hozukiji Prison?

"Would either of you like to fill me in on what the hell is going on?" Sasuke spoke up annoyance dripping in his voice.

Naruto looked to his friend, and then to Sakura, who shook her head ever so slightly.

"Maybe later..." Naruto rubbed the back of his blonde head. "I've got to get ready for the mission."

Sakura and Sasuke looked at Naruto surprised. "Since when did you ever prepare for missions?" Sakura asked.

"Since...erm...I- uh...I'm going now! Bye!" Naruto flew out the door, and was gone in a flash.

Sakura stared at the door. He knew that Sasuke was going to ask questions about these mysterious files. And Naruto abandoned Sakura to the shark known as Sasuke Uchiha.

"Damn you Naruto..." She mumbled.

"What files?" Sasuke spoke, his voice cold and brisk. Sakura flinched slightly.

The files that Naruto were talking about were all about the Uchiha clan and it's kekkei genkai, the Sharingan. A little while after Naruto had become Hokage, Hinata and Sakura were in the archives, organizing different documents from different time periods. On one of the shelves, every scroll and book was from the First Hokage's reign. As they were looking Sakura stumbled upon an entire wall with secret information on the Uchiha clan, history, heritage, everything pretty much. Immediately, her and Hinata pulled Naruto from the meeting with the Konoha elders (They seemed very angry at the interruption), and told him of their discovery.

"Damn," He ran a hand through his hair. "I guess we should keep this a secret."

"Should we tell Sasuke?" Sakura asked. Naruto sighed.

"Not yet. Let's give him time to settle into the village and his life. Then we will. From here on, this conversation never happened."

That conversation never left the walls of the Hokage mansion, and a silent agreement passed between Sakura, Naruto, and Hinata that they'd never speak of those secret files.

Now those secret files had been mentioned, to Sasuke no less, and Naruto had left Sakura to deal with the downfall.

"Sakura..." Sasuke said. Sakura didn't look him. She was too busy wondering if she could reach the window before Sasuke caught her.

She took her only chance at escape, and was standing on the edge of the windowsill, when she was pulled away from freedom.

"Shit." She hissed in pain as Sasuke roughly dragged her away from the open window, and forcefully set her down in Naruto's chair.

"What. Files?" He whispered, and put his face directly in front of her own. His black coal eyes bore into her forest green, and Sakura felt as if he were staring into her soul.

"Um...It's classified." Sakura said, slightly breathless. Having Sasuke this close was really uncomfortable. And even though Sakura didn't have a crush on him anymore, she couldn't deny that he was beyond attractive.

Sasuke glared at her for a few more seconds, then sighed and moved away from her.

"Is it about Konoha?" Sasuke looked at her to gauge her reaction. Sakura shrugged. She knew that he would ask questions until she reacted differently, and then he grill her until he got satisfactory answers. If she didn't get out now, she wouldn't ever.

"Nope. Look, Sasuke, I really need to go. Can you please let me leave?" Sakura asked. Sasuke said nothing. Taking that as a yes, Sakura stood up and went to the door.

"You will tell me what those files are." He said suddenly from behind her. She paused with her hand on the doorknob, and then opened it and walked out.

Sakura walked quickly through the halls and down the stairs and finally outside. Breathing a sigh of relief, she quickly set off to her own house.

Along the way, she pondered why exactly Naruto would want her to get those files. All they contained were information of Sasuke's clan-

Unless his clan had to do with the chakra that was sensed at the prison? Hm...That would be impossible though. Sasuke is the Last Uchiha with two of the three last Sharingan in the ninja world. How would chakra from the Uchiha end up all the way in the Hidden Grass?

Well, either way, it technically wasn't Sakura's place to question Naruto's orders, considering that he was indeed the Hokage. Even so, he was still her close friend, which meant that she fully intended to do whatever possible to find out what was going on. Even if he was the Hokage.

Reaching her house, she walked in, having left her front door unlocked. Honestly, even if someone _did _break in, she could defeat them easily.

She began to gather together all of her items, and then when she was finished, looked at the time. It was only about 12pm. She had more than enough time to kill.

She would spend it with Ino normally, but right now she didn't feel like being forced to ask a random male for his number. So she decided instead to contact Hinata. Sakura hadn't seen her or Minato for a while.

Though with her luck, Hinata was probably busy being berated by the elders. Either way, she'd better go see if Hinata was free.

Leaving her apartment again, she made her way through town towards the Hyuuga district. As she neared closer, she sensed something...different.

Narrowing her eyes, she walked towards the gate when she was stopped by a Hyuuga man.

"I'm sorry miss, but I can't allow you to pass." He said. Sakura glared at him, and then continued walking through the gate.

"Miss, please don't make me-" Before he could finish, Sakura whipped around, and pushed on a pressure point, forcing the man to keel over to the ground. Sakura picked him up, and laid him gently against one of the walls next to the gate.

Sakura wondered what exactly was happening. Normally, she could stroll into the district because they always had the same guard. His name was Miko, and he'd gotten used to her coming in and out of the district. Why in the world would they change guard placements?

As she walked along, she noticed something else wrong. Normally, children could be seen practicing or playing with their peers, however there was no one. Not even adults walked the street. Sakura furrowed her eyebrows.

Something was very wrong...

Suddenly, as she neared the main house, the house that belonged to Hinata's family, a horrid stench hit her. Sakura recognized this smell...

She immediately made a bee-line for the house. She got to the front door, and slide it open without knocking. Inside, there was many different Hyuuga standing, and whispering. Sakura wondered now what had happened. Pushing through the throng, she made her way towards the garden, where everyone's attention seemed to be at.

She was then met with the worst sight.

There were a few Hyuuga, taking pictures and such of a girl. It was a Hyuuga girl, who was laying dead in the middle of the garden. She'd seen plenty of dead bodies when working, or when on a mission, but this girl's insides were strewn across the bushes and trees. Blood splattered virtually everything. The scariest part was that the girl's features were perfectly relaxed. If her insides weren't her outsides, she could be sleeping.

Sakura swallowed, and took a deep breath through her mouth. Allowing herself to relax, she took a step towards the horror scene. No one questioned her as she bent down next to the girl. She looked like Hinata when she was younger. This girl was only 9 or 10 judging from her features and body structure.

Sakura's eyes scanned the girl's entire body. Just before she was about to ask for gloves, so she could perform an autopsy, a voice called her name.

"Sakura!"

"Sakura-chan!"

Sakura turned, and saw Hinata and Naruto standing a little ways away. Sakura stood up, and then walked over to her two friends.

"What happened?" She asked when she met them. Hinata's eyes were glassy and her cheeks were tear stained.

"Someone came in the night. They were trying to kill Hina-chan." Naruto said, his voice growing hard and angry. Hinata inhaled a shaky breath.

"They thought that Kei, the d-dead girl was me. They-They killed her because of me..." Hinata then sniffled and was on the verge of tears again, until Naruto pulled her next to him and hugged her. He put his lips on top of her head, and held her there in his arms.

"It wasn't your fault, Hina." He whispered. Hinata's sobs were muffled into his shirt, and she hugged him back. Sakura stood there feeling as if she was interrupting a moment. The way that Naruto looked at Hinata...She'd never seen anything like that except from whenever her parents would look at each other. Naruto really loved Hinata.

Watching them, it made Sakura wonder if anyone would ever look at _her _like that-

No. There was no time for thoughts like these.

Finally Naruto, looked to Sakura.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan, but I- I can't leave Hina like this. And Minato...he's the one that found the dead girl." He said, Hinata still crying quietly into his shirt. Sakura froze. No wonder he wasn't here...They had probably took the first chance possible to get him out of the house and away from this horror scene.

"So is the mission cancelled?" Sakura asked. She felt kind of sad, now that she had grown accustomed to the idea of being with her teammates after what seemed like forever.

"Yes...for now. Unless..." Naruto paused.

"What?"

"Would you...perhaps be willing to go on the mission still? With Sasuke?" He asked. Sakura blinked slowly.

Going on a mission alone with Sasuke? Not that that would be a problem, but after what had happened from then...

"Yes. We'll do it."

* * *

**Well, yup. That's that. And if you're wondering what Sakura is thinking about, it is _not _what happened in the bar, but something before then which shall be revealed either in the next chapter or the one after the next.**

**Until next time, see ya later! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Heyy! I'm in school as I type these few sentences! (I'm obviously not supposed to be on here...) Lol. I'm a Rebel! Gawd, I sound really retarded. Anywho, here's chapter 4 of this (slightly, partially) beautifully written story!**

**Edit 2: My life is completely twisted around and I just feel like sleeping. Forever. And watching anime. And looking up pictures of my OTPs.**

* * *

Telling Sasuke that it would just be him and Sakura...Well, that was bound to be a interesting conversation. Generally though, those were the type of conversations that Sakura would avoid.

After Sakura had assured Naruto that she and Sasuke would see it through, she had set off to find the Uchiha. It wasn't too hard to find him. You just had to listen for the extremely uncomfortable brooding silence that followed him around wherever he went.

Sakura found him in the bar from the night before where she awkwardly "asked him out". Though honestly, it was _really _an actually thing. Sakura just needed to get that crazy Yamanaka off of her ass.

She walked through the door, and the bartender that was there immediately walked into the back room. Sakura recognized him as the man she had threatened the other night.

Chuckling to herself, she located Sasuke (She just looked for duck butt hair). Seeing him sitting in a booth in the back of the dreary place, she made her way over to him. She could literally feel his gaze burning her. Sitting down, immediately Sasuke spoke.

"What now?"

"A Hyuuga was killed." Sakura said as emotionless as Sasuke himself. "So Naruto asked if you and I could go, and he would stay here with Hinata and Minato."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the pinkette. Was she secretly trying to trap him like the other fangirls? No...She definitely was above that. Especially considering what had happened when she saw him again in Amegakure.

"Do they know who killed the Hyuuga?" He asked, taking a drink of the sake.

"Not yet. I think that's why Naruto wants to stay. Hinata thinks that it was her fault since the murderer was apparently trying to kill her-"

"Why didn't Naruto contact me?" He interrupted. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"How am I supposed to know? Besides, the attack _just _happened I think. I only found out because I was going to visit Hinata-chan and-"

"I'm the head ANBU. I should've been called in." Sasuke muttered to himself.

"Stop interrupting me dammit." Sakura snapped. Sasuke looked up.

"So everything about the mission is the same, except Naruto?" He asked. Sakura nodded.

"Well, I assume that you are prepared. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here." Sasuke looked at Sakura internally wondering about the attack on the Hyuuga. She, in fact, was not the first. She was the first that Naruto and his wife knew about. In fact, quite a few branch members had been found on missions that the ANBU had been assigned to. The ANBU ninja's first priority was to their head of the ANBU, in this case, Sasuke, so they of course reported to him about the bodies.

Sasuke's first thought was to tell Naruto, but a feeling in his gut told him not to. So instead, he first went to inspect the bodies. The first thing he noticed about them, was that they still had the symbol on their foreheads, which marked them as members of the branch. When branch members were killed, they lost that mark. Neji Hyuuga was proof of that.

However, the Hyuuga still had their marks. Finding this suspicious, for sure Sasuke was going to report this. Or at least he was going to, until he found the next unusual, and downright disturbing fact about the bodies. They all had one thing in common.

Their hearts were missing.

Sasuke called in his most trusted ANBU medic to investigate. Apparently, the hearts had been taken out while the Hyuuga were alive. Not only that, but they were perfectly cut out, leaving perfectly cut tubes and veins just sitting their in their empty chests.

Their eyes were actually still intact, which was unusual. Most of the time, whenever an ocular justu user was captured, their eyes were stolen for experimentation, trade, or proof that that person had indeed been killed. That was why Sasuke was worried. He thought perhaps that Kabuto was behind this, but he remembered quickly that Kabuto was dead, and dismissed that theory.

In all honesty, he had no idea what else could be going on. And Sasuke Uchiha was not used to not knowing. So rather than showing the corpses to Naruto, and hurting his pride by admitting that he didn't know, he acted foolishly, and buried the bodies discreetly in the cemetery by night. Not many Hyuuga visited the place, since they had their own burial site for their dead. And burying Hyuuga in a public place with their eyes intact was insane. So Sasuke took out their eyes and preserved them for later. Maybe they would be needed.

He swore the team and the medic that were involved to secrecy. (Which meant that he threatened to kill them if any word ever got out about this incident.) After that, that mission faded to the back of his clustered mind.

Until now.

"Sasuke?"

Sasuke realized that he'd been glaring at the table for the last few minutes while Sakura had babbled on about god-knows-what.

"Did you hear a word of what I just said?"

Sasuke didn't answer.

"Ugh." Sakura groaned in frustration. "So, before you stop listening again, to sum things up if anything on this mission goes wrong, even if it's something as simple as us not getting a hotel room..."

Sakura's voice lowered to where Sasuke had to lean in to hear what she said next.

"...I _will _kill you."

Normally, the old Sasuke wouldn't have taken the threat so seriously, but in recent times he had changed. Before, he would always underestimate other ninja, letting his ego get in the way of logic and fact. Now though, he realized that if you underestimated your enemy, or anyone for that matter, you would most likely die. He had indeed changed.

So had Sakura.

She wasn't the little bubblegum haired twittering girl anymore. She had changed since the war, and since Sasuke had left and returned. If she threatened to kill him, he knew that she would do it with zero hesitation.

"Alright." He replied, knowing better than to argue that if they didn't get a hotel room, it wouldn't be his fault.

"Good. Shall we get going then?" Sakura stood up, and walked out of the bar, not even looking back to see if he was following or not. Sasuke sighed quietly, and left the money on the table. Gathering up his pack, which was sitting at his feet because he planned to drink until it was time to leave, he stood up as well and walked outside.

It was dark outside. Apparently time had flown by quicker than Sasuke anticipated. He made his way to the gate to see Sakura already there, waiting for him.

"Let's go." Sakura said as he approached. He didn't say anything, so Sakura took that as a yes.

The two immediately disappeared into the darkness. She could still sense his chakra though, even if she couldn't hear his footsteps or his breathing.

The conversation at the bar had gone...not better, but not too bad either. It had just been a conversation between two teammates, one who was still a cold-blooded killer, and the other who was a medic with a dark soul.

Not many people saw that side to cute little Sakura-chan, but it was there. When she was a child, she had a inner voice that was more vocal about her feelings than little girl Sakura was. As she grew up, she no longer had that inner voice. Why?

She had become it. She had become that voice. That voice that told everyone exactly how she felt. That voice that was a total badass about everything. That voice that didn't give two shits about Sasuke Uchiha any longer, and would kill the bastard if necessary.

Sasuke's leaving right after defeating Kaguya felt like complete and utter betrayal to her. She told herself that it didn't matter what he did anymore. She didn't have a crush on him!

But deep down, it killed her. It hurt to know that he was hurting and that she could do nothing. It was too painful to think about, so she turned instead to Naruto's plans for his and Hinata's marriage as a distraction from her shitty emotions. She turned to pretty much anything that would distract from her own misery. No one else was concerned with Sasuke's shit, so why the hell was she?

Because she was a fucking girl that had absolutely no fucking control on anything in her life. Her entire life was a shit-hole of hell. A shit hole of hell that was so shitty, she had no idea how this much shit could even exist in one lifetime.

And all for one fucking retarded guy.

The amount of shit right now was too damn high...

Eventually though, she managed to forget about him. Even if for a little while. The thing that aided her the most in her quest of forgetting was her Shisou's favorite pastime when she was the Hokage.

Alcohol.

Since she was such a skilled medic, she knew how to cure pretty much anything, including alcohol poisoning or a hangover. Sometimes though, she didn't fix it, just so she'd have something to distract from the mental and emotional pain. Why in the world one man could affect her _this _much, she didn't know. All she knew was that it was completely and utterly ridiculous, the way that she was behaving.

After a few weeks, maybe months, or years...A spy from Konoha in Amegakure (They were assigned to watch over the abandoned Akatsuki hideout.) had reported that Sasuke Uchiha had been spotted within the village.

Immediately, Naruto had gathered up the Konoha 11 to go and retrieve Sasuke from the Rain Village. Everyone actually seemed in high spirits for this mission, (It was their first, all together in the longest time.) except for Sakura. Sakura wasn't too sure of how to feel about this. They were on their way to retrieve the man that had plagued her waking thoughts and dreams, and not in a good way. After all this time, she had eventually come to despise him. So the thought of getting him, was not a happy one.

When they got to Amegakure, no one could find a trace of Sasuke. Sakura was partially relieved and partially sad. She sorta wished to see him at least one last time again. But she also wished to hurt him as much as she'd been hurt.

After a day's worth of searching the village top to bottom, there was still no sign of Sasuke. Naruto, in a frustrated rage, stormed off to the nearest bar. Hinata quickly followed to ensure that he didn't destroy something.

Sakura and the others decided to do another quick search for Naruto's sake. Suddenly, Ino's chakra levels dropped, signalling that she had been attacked and knocked out. Either that, or she was on the verge of death.

Immediately Sakura took off in Ino's direction. When she reached her, she noticed that Ino was indeed knocked out. If Ino had encountered and enemy ninja, they would've killed her. She was only knocked out which could only mean one thing...

A flare of chakra came from behind Sakura. She whipped around, thinking that someone was behind her. No one was there. She then realized that it had been Naruto and the Kyuubi's chakra, along with another slightly familiar chakra...He was fighting someone.

Sakura grabbed the lifeless form of Ino, and moved her next to a dumpster in an empty alleyway. (She was a ninja, she could take care of herself.) She then set off in the direction of Naruto's chakra.

As she was going across the tall buildings, she noticed how the constant rain that accompanied them since they set foot in Amegakure began to slow to a gentle drizzle. Eventually it stopped altogether.

Finally, she reached the building where Naruto was. The rest of the Konoha 11 were already there minus Ino and Sakura herself. Naruto was hugging someone with dark black hair...Oddly enough, the person was hugging back, though very tentatively.

Sakura pushed her way past Kiba, who was, unluckily, the person who stood in front of her and Sasuke.

"Hey!" He protested. Sakura ignored him.

At Kiba's outburst, Naruto turned away from the Uchiha.

"Hey Sakura-chan! Look who we found!" Naruto moved away from Sasuke, and gestured to him.

Sakura didn't say anything. She stood there for a few seconds then was suddenly in front of Sasuke, her fist being held back by his hand.

The others were shocked. They hadn't even seen either of the two move.

"You-You...bastard!" She yelled, and stomped her foot on the building. The entire building shook dangerously.

"Uh-Sakura-chan? You shouldn't do that!" Naruto said as he nervously rubbed the back of his head.

Sakura ignored his warning. In fact, from the moment she sensed Sasuke's chakra, she was blind to everything else around her.

"Why?" Sakura whispered. She didn't need to say anything else for Sasuke to understand exactly what she was talking about.

Why did he leave? Why didn't he stay with the others? Why did he run away like he always did, when there was nothing to run from anymore?

Rather than trying and answering this complicated question, Sasuke stayed silent.

Sakura narrowed her eyes, and simultaneously the two jumped away from each other. Standing across the building for a split second before disappearing to the ground far, far below, Naruto realized that these two needed some space. Nothing to serious would happen. Hopefully. If it did, only he'd be able to stop it. Most likely things would not go that far.

Most likely.

"Leave them be." Naruto said with a tired sigh. The others looked at him, surprised. He was going to let his best friends fight?

Hinata went and stood next to Naruto and entwined her hand with his. Naruto looked at her gratefully. In that moment, he realized something. He had a new family to stand by his side for support. Sakura, however, did not. Her parents had died from old age a few years back, and she didn't allow anyone close for comfort. She pushed them far away and kept them at a distance. Naruto had never realized just how badly she was hurting.

On the ground, Sasuke and Sakura had already began to clash. Just in the little amount of time Sasuke had been fighting, he realized how much Sakura's skill had improved. He actually needed to activate his Sharingan to counter her attacks.

Sakura pulled out a kunai, and ran at Sasuke. He quickly whipped out his katana, and held his sword out against her. Her attack had been laced with chakra to increase her strength, so Sakura managed to push Sasuke's feet across the cement ground.

Sakura pulled out another kunai. Sasuke decided to not try and block the attack to see if she'd actually have the guts to hit him.

She went straight for his his heart. Sasuke followed the movement with his Sharingan, and realized that she was actually going to kill him if he didn't stop her. So he deflected the movement just before she reached his chest. However, due to the close proximity, she managed to deeply cut across his left shoulder.

Sasuke hissed in pain, and jumped away from her. Sakura didn't move. She stood there, as Sasuke recovered and appeared in front of her once more.

Sasuke stared into her forest green eyes as he held his right arm against her throat, and his sword on the left of her throat. His eyes were blazing with the intensity of the battle, and were red.

Sakura's eyes had tears pouring down her face. As they stood, locked in that position, Sakura dropped the kunai. His face was centimeters from her own.

"Why?" She muttered again, her gaze never leaving his. "Dammit to all, why Sasuke?"

He slowly lowered his sword and his arm, and stepped away. Sakura suddenly crumpled to the ground, as if his closeness had been keeping her up. Sasuke deactivated his Sharingan with a blink, and sheathed his katana. He turned away from her, and looked up to the small opening in the clouds. The barest hint of sunlight drifted through, and fell on the two.

Just then Naruto and the others appeared next to them. Ino (Who had awoken, and found the others.) and Hinata helped Sakura stand up again. The guys stood waiting with their arms crossed. Sasuke ignored all of them. The group stood up, and then left Amegakure, not ever speaking of the little spat between Sasuke and Sakura.

When they got to Konoha, no questions were asked by anyone of the medics as they tended to Sasuke's wound. The only person that was naive enough to ask what had happened was Ayane.

"Sensei, what happened to Uchiha-san when you-?"

"Drop it Ayane." Sakura said in a voice that would've made Sasuke proud.

Ayane may have been very bad at knowing when and when not to ask questions, but she knew her Sensei well enough to know that Sakura was on the verge of stabbing someone.

So she dropped it. And no one ever brought up again. And then the battle faded from everyone's memory completely.

Since then, Sakura hadn't ever really spoken to Sasuke again. Sure, it was hard to avoid him since the injured ANBU were sent immediately to Sakura, and protocol stated that the captain of the mission and the head of the ANBU were supposed to be present.

She also saw him around at the markets, surrounded by his fangirls, buying tomatoes. (The one thing that never changed about Sasuke Uchiha was his unhealthy addiction to tomatoes.) Anyways, Sakura never spoke with Sasuke since she attacked him in Amegakure.

Until yesterday night at the bar. And when Naruto assigned them to the mission.

Talking to Sasuke pissed her off. Why? She's a girl, and girl's are just automatically hard to cooperate with and to understand. Girls are also irrational and emotional people that-

You know what? Sakura wasn't going to try and pretend that it was her fault she was pissed. Fuck Sasuke. Fuck everything that little twat stood for. It wasn't _her _fault that she was emotionally ridden and actually had feelings. Even if he didn't.

Everything that had happened to her was all a product of Sasuke Uchiha. Most of it was indirect, but otherwise, everything was all on him. That little good-for-nothing duck butt-haired savage fat little pig-

_BAM!_

"You should watch where you're going." Sasuke's monotone voice reminded her of the mission that they were currently on. Sakura had unluckily run into a tree.

And rather than warn her, he let her hit the tree.

That bastard.

"You could've said something about the tree." Sakura said, as she stood up. They had been jumping through the trees for a while, Sakura in her daydream, and Sasuke in a world of his own as well, when Sakura kept going straight towards a tree. Sasuke thought she was going to avoid it, but instead she hit it full on, and knocked the thing over, roots and all. Sasuke watched her, bemused, as she struggled to regain her grip on reality.

"A ninja shouldn't have to have people warn them when a _tree _is approaching." Sasuke said. Sakura growled.

Stupid Sasuke.

"Let's keep moving. We can stop in another hour or two. At this rate, we should get to the prison by midnight tomorrow." Sakura said. He nodded, and the two continued onward.

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**Crappy ending, I know, but I had to end the chapter somewhere! Anyways, the next chapter will be very "fun" filled! (You all can probably guess what I _really _mean!) :D Yes, blood, guts, and gore. And then so much more! Hehe, I rhymed bitch...**

**I'm gonna stop now.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Edit 2: BROS. WHY Y NO REVIEW? I want to talk to your beautiful faces! :((( And you don't want to die right? No? So review cause I just cursed you like with one of those retarded chain mail things.**

**A cat with rape your dead body. Death in 5 days via Dalek.**

**so yea. I'd love to hear from all of you. Don't be shy! (Or lazy! Lol.) I dont bite! OR DO I... *insert ominous horror music here***

**And Im updating this on Thursday because: **

**1\. I'm busy the entire weekend starting when I wake up Friday **

**2\. I could update this Monday, but I think you'd all prefer earlier rather than latter.**

**3\. I really want y'all mofos to read dis lyrical shiz niz.**

**so ya**

**Edit 1: Yea...this is the "fun" chapter. You ready bruh? Much "fun" is in store... :D (Pretend I'm laughing evilly.)**

* * *

The rest of the way was pretty uneventful. As Sakura predicted, they reached their destination at roughly around midnight.

Their arrival was met with a lot of warmth and welcome. Which Sasuke found suspicious. Because most prison guards are not friendly. Sasuke spoke from experience on this.

"Well, what's the issue exactly?" Right now, he and Sakura were with the current caretaker of Hozukiji. They were sitting in the man's office in the prison. The caretaker had requested that Naruto personally come and see what was going on. Obviously, _that _didn't happen so Sasuke and Sakura had to try and explain that he couldn't come for personal reasons. They had to convey that Naruto didn't come, without making it sound as if the village was vulnerable or weak.

"A chakra...A very sinister chakra was sensed coming from where the box used to be located."

The box, after it had been resealed, had been moved to a much more secure location, with a much more sane caretaker who didn't want to rule the world. The room where it used to be located had not been entered since Konoha's ANBU investigated the area. Now though, apparently, something else was wrong in that horrible room.

"Did you send someone to look?" Sasuke asked. The man, Hiro, shook his head.

Hiro was the complete polar opposite to Mui. While Mui looked healthy and fit, Hiro looked about 50 pounds overweight.

How a man like that ever became a guard for a prison, Sasuke had no idea.

"After what happened with the Box, everyone of the guards have been jumpy. No one was wiling to go and take a look because they're a bunch of cowards." Hiro said with a shrug.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. People were so easily scared by the stupidest things. "Did you yourself go look?" Sakura asked. Sasuke could hear the undertone to the words. If he said no, then he'd be considered a coward, like the rest of his men. If he said yes, and was lying, he would look stupid.

Hiro swallowed. "No. But only because-!"

"Don't worry about it." Sakura smiled gently and patted his fat hand. Her smile was cold however, and Hiro quickly redrew his hand. Sakura smirked to herself. Men like him were the reason many missions failed and people were killed. Sakura had no patience for those type of people.

She stood up, and bowed only the tiniest bit.

"We're going to check it out, and see what's wrong. Whatever you do," Sakura looked up, and there was a dangerous gleam in her forest eyes.

"Do not send anyone after us. In case there is something wrong." Hiro gulped, and nodded his pudgy head.

Sasuke stood up too, and then he and Sakura left the office.

Sasuke thought they'd have to request a guide to the room, but when he took one step into the prison itself, a wave of strange chakra washed over him. It felt like the chakra of a tailed-beast.

He and Sakura glanced at each other, and then carried on towards the room.

Along the way, some of the cells had a few prisoners in them. Some of those prisoners decided to call out to Sakura.

"Hey pretty lady! Why don't you come on o'er here and join me?"

"Hey! Pinky!"

"Mm...You look beautiful, darling!"

Sasuke thought Sakura would do something, but she kept walking. Obviously whatever was up with that room, and the Box that is always mentioned, must be pretty serious.

They eventually came to a door which obviously lead underground. When Sakura opened the door, a musty scent drifted past Sasuke. There was also a very faint scent of blood coming from within.

Sasuke and Sakura descended the stairs down, down, down, until they finally reached the room. It had obviously once been filled with all sorts of medical instruments used for god knows what.

The chakra from before was stronger than ever down here. Sasuke was so overwhelmed by the sheer amount of it, he had a hard time distinguishing where exactly this chakra was emanating from.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan, and the tomoes on his eyes whirled into the flower-like shape of the Mangekyou.

"What is it?" Sakura whispered. Oddly enough, it felt dangerous to speak out loud. Whispering did feel like the proper thing to do. Which is why Sakura decided that whispering would be appropriate.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes a bookshelf with only three books. He walked over slowly, and realized...

"This book. It's the thing that has all the chakra pouring from it."

"Really?" Sakura asked, surprised. She walked over and stood next to Sasuke to get a good look at the book.

It's name was in a different language. A language that neither ninja had ever seen in their lives. The spine of the book was a bright blue color.

"Now what? Do we just...tell them that there's a magical book that's emanating chakra?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke ignored her, and then reached out to grab it. He moved slowly, and Sakura held her breath.

He grabbed the book and pulled it out. Nothing happened.

"Well, that was anti-climatic." Sakura mumbled to herself. Sasuke studied the bright cover. It too had that unknown language on it. The only thing they could read was something that said 'Hurricane Chronicles' which made absolutely no sense.

The weirdest thing was that the book was backwards. Rather than opening the book and reading right to left like normal, the front of the book appeared to be, what was normally, the back of the book.

Sasuke felt a light pressure on his shoulder. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye to see her holding herself on her toes to look over his shoulder. She was shorter than he thought. Perhaps her generally loud presence made her seem bigger than she actually is. Sasuke rolled his eyes. She reminded him of a little school-girl.

Sasuke continued his inspection of the book by looking at the front (The front that was supposed to be the back). Finally, he opened the book to see if it was written in the unknown language.

Suddenly, right as he opened the book, there was a strange whooshing sound. It sounded like they were standing in a sandstorm without the sand, but with the wind.

Sasuke tried to close the book, but it refused to shut. The wind sound increased, and Sakura's grip on his shirt tightened.

"What's happening?!" She yelled, her words being whipped from her mouth.

Sasuke dropped the book. It didn't fall. It stayed suspended in midair, floating eerily. He took a few steps away from the anomaly, Sakura right behind him.

Just then, Sasuke felt himself being pulled towards the book. He thought it was his imagination, but it felt as if he was being sucked up.

"Sasuke!" Sakura's voice could just be heard above the roaring winds. He turned his head around as best as he could to look at Sakura. She was holding on to the railing of the stairs. Sasuke was slipping away from her and the railing slowly. If he reached the book, there was no telling what would happen. So Sakura decided that it would be better if they stayed together.

So she grabbed his hand.

The winds were undeniably strong. Sasuke was literally flying off of the ground, and was being pulled towards the still open book. There was now a bright white light emanating from it.

Sakura held on to the railing and Sasuke's hand as best as she could. She didn't want him to be sucked up by the strange blue book. No matter how much she hated his ass...

"Hang on!" She yelled. Sasuke tried to put his feet on the ground so he could hold himself in place with chakra, but it was impossible. The wind kept him above the ground, almost like it was on purpose. Like the wind knew what Sasuke would do.

Sasuke could see Sakura straining to hold on to him and the rail. He could also see that her arm was about to rip off. She had to make a choice. She could either:

A. Get her arm ripped off

or

B. Let go of Sasuke and save herself

Obviously, Sasuke decided to try and get her to let go.

"Let go of me Sakura!" He shouted.

"No!"

"You're going to get your arm torn off! Just do it!"

"I'm not going to let a teammate die! Screw the arm, I can just heal it!"

Sasuke closed his eyes. Damn Sakura. Being a stupid stubborn idiot.

Just then, Sakura lost her grip on the rail. She and Sasuke soared across the room and were immediately sucked into the book. As they were flying, Sasuke's instincts kicked in and he automatically wrapped Sakura in his arms. If he died, no one would be too sad. Plus too, he's just a naturally chivalrous man. He can't help it.

The last thing that Sakura saw before she blacked out was Sasuke's jacket.

* * *

"My Lady?" An unfamiliar voice asked.

Sakura opened her eyes and immediately realized that she was no longer in Hozukiji. She was lying in a bed in some place. Sakura assumed that she and Sasuke have probably bee kidnapped or something. Though that would make no sense, especially since the room was very grand and fancy. If they'd been taken, they would be in a prison cell or somewhere _not _fancy and clean.

"You're finally awake." Sakura looked around the room for the mysterious voice. Her vision was unusually distorted, and she felt tired.

Sakura's blurry gaze landed on a little Hyuuga girl who was dressed in a older looking dress.

"Where am I?" Sakura asked, rubbing her temple. She had an excruciating headache, making her feel sluggish.

"In your bedchambers my lady. Do you not remember yesterday night?" The girl asked blinking in surprise. Sakura groaned, and sat up.

"No." Sakura muttered. "Where can I get some water?"

"I'll fetch it my lady!" The Hyuuga girl scampered off through the door, which Sakura did not notice before. Putting her feet on the floor, she attempted to stand up, only to fall back onto the bed.

"Here my lady!" The girl had reappeared with a water jug and a tray with a glass on it.

"Uh, thanks." Sakura watched as the girl quickly poured the water in the jug into the glass. The girl then set down the jug, and brought the glass over to her.

"Take it my lady!" The girl held out the tray to Sakura, with the glass on it. It looked extremely enticing, and Sakura was extremely thirsty, but it could be poisoned. Everything that was going on... It was just too suspicious.

"I'm fine now actually-"

"It's not poisoned!" The girl interrupted. Immediately, Sakura was on guard. It must be poisoned. "Please don't believe a word he says! Even though Prince Uzumaki threatened to, he would never-"

"What?!" Sakura said.

"Um...He would never poison anything My Lady-" The girl continued hesitantly.

"No, No!" Sakura interrupted her, waving her hand. "Not what he said! Who? What prince?"

"Prince Uzumaki, my lady?"

Sakura's eyes widened. Prince Uzumaki? What the hell was going on here? Was she talking about Naruto?

"What's the Prince's name?!" Sakura demanded.

"Naruto Uzumaki my lady! Why do you not remember him?" The girl said surprised and concerned.

Sakura tried to stand again, and this time managed to, alibet unsteadily.

"I need to speak with him."

"What?" The girl said. "But why my lady-?"

"Stop saying, 'My lady'! I'm Sakura for god's sake!" Sakura snapped. The girl gasped.

"It's true..." She muttered quietly.

"What?" Sakura asked annoyed at the entire situation. She was obviously not kidnapped. She was obviously...She didn't know. Whatever was going on, it was sure as hell weird.

"Your sparring match with Neji-san is in a few minutes. Shall we head down to the garden to-?"

"No."

The girl took a hasty step back at the look on Sakura's face.

"Wait," Sakura said. The girl swallowed nervously. Something was wrong with Princess Sakura, but she didn't know what. Perhaps she'd had too much alcohol last night...

"Yes?" She answered cautiously.

"Did you say Neji-san?"

"Yes, I did. Do you remember him Sakura-san?" The girl asked tilting her head quizzically. Sakura swallowed back her sadness and fought the tears.

Yes, she remembered him. How could she forget someone like Neji Hyuuga?

"Of course I remember him!" Sakura snapped, and turned away from the girl to hide her tears. She wasn't the closest to the Hyuuga, but she was extremely close to Hinata. And just hearing about everything that he did...

"You're sounding a bit more like yourself now Sakura-san." The girl commented.

Sakura ignored the girl, and then went to the door. Just before she could leave however, the girl stopped her.

"Sakura-san, what in the heavens are you doing?!" The girl said in a scolding manner.

"Excuse me?" Sakura asked nonplussed.

"Why, you can't leave your room in just your undergarments!" The girl cried.

Sakura looked down at herself. She didn't notice before, but she was wearing a long white gown thing with a corset around her stomach.

What the hell.

"What am I wearing?!" Sakura snarled, crossing the room and grabbing the girl by the shoulders. "Where are my normal clothes at?!"

"Your dress is on your bed Lady Sakura. I'll leave you to it then?" The girl quickly pulled away from Sakura's grasp, and dashed out the door before Sakura could say anything more.

Sakura groaned loudly. This was all too weird. What was she doing in a _corset? _Where was Sasuke? Seriously, if she didn't start getting answers now, she was going to break something.

At least Neji was here. Or so the girl said. Anyways, first she had to get out of this corset. And if she was here, she might as well play along with whatever this was.

She was going to get out of here for sure. Whatever happened, she was getting out.

* * *

**Lol. Wrong chapter for the blood and gore! That's not for a little while yet...Anywho, hope you liked this anyway. This is where the AU starts. _This is when all da shit goes down bruh! _**

**Ahem...things start to get more interesting from here. And the SasuSaku WILL come! Don't worry! :3**

**Until next time, see ya later! :) **

**Don't forget to review! I accept flames, criticism, praise, whatever else you wanna throw at me! JUST TALK TO ME OMG IM LONELYYYY**


	6. Chapter 6

**'Ello! :) I've got nothing to say, so enjoy this chapter!**

**Edit 2: I do have something to say! Thank you people for reviewing! And I'm really cold right now...**

* * *

Sakura had rifled through the entire wardrobe that sat in the corner, yet found no normal attire. So she was forced to wear the dress that the little girl had laid out for her. After she got dressed, she opened the door to see the little girl standing there. Like, she was _directly _there by the door.

"Holy hell!" Sakura yelped, and took a step back. "You scared me kid!"

The girl raised her eyebrow. "Do you not remember me either my lady?"

"Uh- I-"

"That's fine, my lady." The girl said smiling. "I'm Kei."

"Kei..." Sakura trailed off. Her name sounded familiar.

"Yes. Shall we go then?" Kei grinned, and skipped off down the hallway. Sakura quickly jogged to catch up to the surprisingly quick girl. She followed Kei through the humongous building until she finally came out to a huge grand staircase.

"Whoa..." Sakura breathed.

"Hurry my lady! Neji-san is waiting!" Kei called from the bottom of the stairs. Her voice echoed around the cavernous room until it finally faded away.

The stairs going down came from both sides, until they met in the middle to make the main staircase. On the wall on the landing where the two smaller staircases met, was a huge banner painted with white and red with a black background. Sakura was too close to the banner to see what exactly it was.

She quickly trotted unsteadily down the stairs, the dress getting caught every few moments. When she reached the bottom, she unluckily tripped on the last stair and fell in a heap.

"Lady Sakura!" Kei cried in horror, and grabbed her arm to help her up. "Are you okay my lady?" She asked, but Sakura wasn't paying attention. From where she fell, she was positioned to see the banner on the landing.

It was the Uchiha clan symbol.

* * *

Sasuke had awoken to two little girls running around his room piling up unknown clothes. The smell of coffee was in drifting in the air.

"Prince, you overslept!" One of the girls yelped. Before Sasuke could react, she had grabbed his arm, yanked him over to a small table and chair, then set him down.

The other girl ran over to Sasuke and began to brush his hair. He was about to stop her, to ask what in the hell was going on, but when he opened his mouth the other little girl shoved a piece of buttered bread in.

"Hurry! Eat quickly sir!" She squeaked, and ran off again. Sasuke spat of the bread as the other little girl stopped brushing his hair and set some old fashioned clothes in his lap.

"Prince please hurry! I know you drank much last night, but you need to hurry if you're going to make it in time for the meeting!" The brush girl said, and both girls then exited through the door on Sasuke's right.

Sasuke looked down at the clothes in his lap. They were very old fashioned clothes indeed.

What exactly was going on?

Deciding that playing along with the children would be best until he could find out what was happening, Sasuke grabbed the clothes and put them on quickly.

Immediately, the girls walked back in. Sasuke was able to get a view of their eyes and see that they were lavender.

What the-?

"Prince, please! _Hurry!_" The first girl groaned.

"Where are we going?" Sasuke asked as the girls dashed around the room gathering items and such.

"Don't tell me you forgot about the meeting with the King!" The second girl sighed exasperatedly. "It doesn't matter now! We need to get downstairs!"

Sasuke opened his mouth to ask what meeting, but the girls grabbed both of his hands and quite literally dragged pulled him out of the room.

"Hey-!"

"No time for talking my Prince! Just keep going!" The girl holding his left hand interrupted. They walked in silence, the two girls pulling him along, before Sasuke tried to speak again.

"What the hell is-?"

"Silence! We are here!" The girl on the right whispered. In the last few moments Sasuke had been too distracted to notice that they had reached a set of large oaken wood doors.

Before Sasuke could do anything, the girls opened the doors and both announced simultaneously, "Prince Sasuke has arrived my liege."

Sasuke got a quick view of the room (Bright crystal chandeliers hanging from the tall ceiling. A table with chairs seated around it, gemstones engraved in each chair) before someone at the end of the table caught his gaze. Sasuke inhaled sharply.

It was Fugaku Uchiha, Sasuke's dead father.

* * *

Sakura's mouth fell open. What the hell was going on here?!

What was the Uchiha symbol doing here?!

"My lady!" Kei had Sakura on her feet before she could do anything.

"I'm fine, I'm fine..." Sakura said, still staring, shocked, at the Uchiha symbol.

"Let's continue then, shall we my lady?" Kei said, her smile reappearing.

Sakura nodded, and within minutes, they were outside in a beautiful garden. Walking through a tunnel of flowers, they came out into a small clearing. The weirdest thing? The clearing looked exactly like Team 7's training ground from when they were genin. Everything was exactly the same, down to the last detail.

"Where are-?"

"Lady Sakura-chan!" A bright and cheery voice interrupted Sakura. The voice came from in front of her. Unfortunately, the sun was shining in her eyes. It was probably about 10 in the morning.

Squinting her eyes, Sakura was able to make out the hazy figure of a long-haired boy about her age.

"Are you ready to begin your training?" The boy called again happily, and finally came close enough for Sakura to see who he was. She gasped in surprise.

It was Neji Hyuuga, alive and well. Dressed as he normally was before his death. Walking and talking. Living and breathing. _Alive. _

Sakura inhaled a deep, slow, and calming breath. She was obviously not in Konoha anymore. She was in a alternate world, like the time when Obito teleported her and Naruto to a world where his parents were alive, and her parents were dead...Now was not the time to think about that. The real question was, where was she?

And come to think of it, where was Sasuke?

"Uh, sure." Sakura answered Neji as levelly as she could.

Neji nodded. "Alright," He rubbed his hands together. "We left off on how to block. Do you recall how to do this?"

He spoke as if he was speaking to a child. It was annoying.

And please...Does Sakura know how to block a simple punch or kick? _Obviously _she did!

"Yea, I do." She replied crossing her arms.

"Show me." Before Sakura could process what he was doing he threw a punch right towards her face.

Rather than blocking it, she instead dodged, and then jumped back a few paces and stopped in a crouched position.

"What the hell are you doing?!" She snapped. She didn't expect him to try and hit her.

From what she could tell, in this place Sakura was someone important. Maybe a duchess or something. She woke up in a castle with an Uchiha banner, which must mean that the Uchiha clan was also alive in the universe. She had a servant girl, who was Hyuuga, and Neji was alive.

Just what kind of place was this?

Whatever it was, Sakura had assumed that nothing in this world would be too threatening. She obviously did not expect Neji to try and punch her like that.

Sakura stood up, and dusted off the dress. As calmly as she could, she walked back over to Neji.

"What was that?!" Kei's voice rose an octave as she ran over to Sakura and Neji.

"Yes. Where did you learn to dodge Lady Sakura-chan?" He tilted his head quizzically. Sakura smiled cryptically.

Obviously the Sakura in this universe was not coordinated, from the way Neji and Kei spoke to her. So she'd have to play this off as best as possible. Which was going to be complicated since Sakura didn't know how her other self acted in this world.

"I've been practicing."

"But," Kei frowned. "You never practice my lady."

Shit.

Sakura shrugged. "Maybe I wanted to so I don't look stupid."

"Is that so?" Neji mumbled, and narrowed his eyes at her frowning. Apparently even in this universe, Neji was very smart and noticed small details. That wasn't good for Sakura.

"Yes. Is there something wrong with that?" Sakura snapped. Neji held up his hands.

"Of course not Lady Sakura-chan." Neji's smile returned.

So Sakura of this world's personality was rude and stuck-up. That should be easy.

"Well, let's get on with it then! Come on already!" Sakura barked. Neji smile grew, and he got a familiar look in his pale eyes. It was the look that Naruto used to give Sakura when he had a crush on her.

Dear god, let me be wrong, Sakura thought.

For the next few hours, Neji taught Sakura how to block, punch, and kick. He taught it the way that Hyuuga learned, so it was quite interesting to try out a new fighting style for a change.

Finally, at the end of the practice, Sakura and Neji stood across from each other. Neither had broken a sweat the entire time.

"My lady, you've certainly become very fit and limber." Neji winked at Sakura, with a suggestive smirk on his face.

Mother of Kami, what the actual hell.

"Thank you." Sakura smiled gently, and a shadow of a frown passed across his face.

In the next moment, his face was back to normal. (Or at least what qualified as normal in this world. Right now, _nothing _was normal.)

Sakura then hoisted up the dress and began to walk back to the castle, Kei trailing behind.

"Your fighting has improved in such a short time my lady. When have you been practicing? You don't have nearly enough time!" Kei asked as they entered back into the main hall with the staircases and the Uchiha banner.

Sakura shrugged. "I don't know." She said as snootily as possible. "I guess I'm just that good."

"Of course you are my lady." Kei agreed, and nodded her small head vigorously.

They eventually reached Sakura's room, and Kei spoke again.

"Dinner with the Princes and Princess are in three hours my lady. I have already set out your dress for the night, and Konan is drawing up a bath as we speak."

Sakura tried to not let her features twitch at Konan's name. She remembered it being the name of the only girl Akatsuki member.

"I'm going to go get ready now then." Sakura said. "You can leave now, Kei."

Kei bowed, then left the room without a word. Sakura felt slightly guilty at being rude like she was. Maybe this wasn't how Sakura from this world acted. But if this was indeed a alternate universe, then Sakura from this universe was most likely a bitch.

Either way, she figure it out after she bathed.

Sakura walked over to a door the she had previously overlooked. She assumed it was the bathroom since steam and watery sounds were coming from within.

She opened the door, and squinted through the thick steam to see a faint blue color.

"Hello Sakura-sama!" Konan's cheery voice reached her. Sakura managed to smile.

"Hello Konan." Konan shuffled past Sakura towards the door.

"Your towel is on the table as always my lady. I will be outside if you need anything." She said, then exited the bathroom.

Sakura continued to stare at the door even after she left. This world...It was seriously messed up.

She stripped off her clothes and then got into the warm steamy water. Sakura released the breath that she didn't know she'd been holding.

Everything that had been happening so far, it was extremely confusing. She barely held it together without crying over formerly dead people (Neji), or attacking the people that were now tame servants (Konan).

Sakura's eyes began to droop. The water was very warm, and Sakura was ready to just sleep off everything.

Finally, she succumbed to the warmth of the water and fell asleep.

* * *

"Where is that girl?"

Sasuke sipped his drink ignoring, who he presumed to be, Sakura's mother. He was sitting at a long elegant dinner table with his two parents, and both of Sakura's parents as well.

"Sasuke-kun, do you know where she might be?" Sakura's mother turned to him. He shrugged, and attempted to not slap her. Sakura's mom was just as annoying as her daughter.

"Do you happen to know where Itachi-kun may be? He's been missing today as well." Mikoto Uchiha asked her son. Sasuke swallowed and shook his head. He was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that his mother and father were alive.

Just then, the large doors, which lead to the courtyard in the back, opened. Itachi, quite literally, glided over lightly to the table.

"Itachi, where have you been?" Scolded Mikoto.

Itachi's hands were covered in dirt, and so were his clothes. It looked like he'd taken a dirt bath.

"My most sincere apologies Mother, Father." Itachi bowed to Mikoto and Fugaku. "I apologize to Sakura-san's parents as well." Itachi bowed to Sakura's parents.

"However," Itachi stood up. "Maybelle was dying, I had to do _something _didn't I?" He looked at each person in turn, daring them to contradict him. "What kind of a person would I be if I didn't try to save a friend?"

"For god's sake Itachi!" Fugaku rolled his eyes. "When are you ever going to stop messing around in the garden with those plants of yours?!"

"Never, Father." Itachi replied, looking Fugaku straight in the eyes. "They are my nakama. I always stick up for my nakama." He said with conviction.

"Uh...Father? What exactly-?" Sasuke began.

"Why can't you be more like your brother Sasuke?" Fugaku said exasperated. "Look at him! Sitting at our table, clean, and about to marry the Haruno's daughter!"

Sasuke choked his food, but no one noticed since their attention was on Itachi and Fugaku. Perhaps Sasuke would've been happy that his father praised him, but he was too distracted by the words, 'Marry the Haruno's daughter.'

"What have you done, eldest son?" He spat. "Absolutely nothing. You're a worthless good-for-nothing fool, who'd rather garden than rule a kingdom. I despise you, you horrible disgusting sorry excuse for a son." Fugaku turned away from his son and back to the steak on his plate.

"Fugaku!" Mikoto gasped, with a sorrowful look to her son.

"Your father doesn't mean that! You know he doesn't Itachi!" She said.

Itachi's eyes sparkled with tears, yet he did not lower his head.

"I am sorry Father, that I cannot and refuse to live up to your impossible expectations." He did not bow, but instead turned back to the doors that he just came from.

"Sasuke has lived up to my, as you put it, '_impossible expectations_' yet you have not. You disgust me."

"Says the man who kills innocent people for his own gain-"

Fugaku was on his feet and had his hand on Itachi's throat before anyone could react.

"Get out of my sight." He whispered menacingly in his oldest son's ear. Itachi slapped Fugaku's hand away from his throat. With one hateful glance at his father, and a sad look to his mother, he exited the dining room.

"Fugaku. Sit down." Mikoto ordered. Fugaku looked back to the table at his angry wife, uncomfortable guests, and impassive son.

"I apologize." He said, and sat down as if nothing had happened.

It was silent for a few moments and then Sakura's father broke the silence.

"So, Fugaku, how goes the business with the Uzumaki's?"

"Oh wouldn't you want to hear!" The men both laughed heartily, and the mother's both struck up a conversation on the wedding.

Wedding...He, Sasuke Uchiha, was supposed to marry Sakura Haruno in few months.

The moment Sasuke awoke in that strange yet fancy room, he knew that he was in a alternate universe. The hardest part was figuring out how to get back home. And preferably before he had to marry Sakura. He didn't want to marry her, and she most likely didn't want to marry him.

He said most likely, because you can never be sure with girls.

"Now where has Lady Sakura disappeared to?" Mikoto asked Sakura's mother, who Sasuke had heard was named Etsuko.

Etsuko shrugged and waved her hand. "Sakura is always late! She'll be here eventually." Etsuko rolled her eyes. Her daughter could be such a problem sometimes.

"I bet she'll be wearing her beautiful gown that I had specially made."

Mikoto gasped. "Really? I've been dying to see it!"

Etsuko laughed. "I've been dying to get the chance for her to wear it!"

"I bet she'll look gorgeous, don't you think she will Sasuke-kun?" Mikoto turned and asked him.

Sasuke was about to reply when the doors opened to reveal Sakura. However, she was dressed in a plain green dress and her hair was dripping wet.

Sasuke could tell by the looks on his and Sakura's mother's faces, that this was not going to be pretty.

* * *

**Whew! I couldn't find a place to end it! But I finally did, and it's a bit longer because of that!**

**Until next time, my lovelies... :3**


	7. Chapter 7

**Heyy...How's it going? Good? Well, your day is about to get even better, because I have another chapter! (And a virtual cookie! :3)**

**Edit 2: It's getting harder to try and update once a week, so unfortunately you'll only get updates whenever I can. I apologize again guys! :(**

* * *

Sakura awoke to the sound of banging. Her eyes shot opened and she stood up, the water dripping everywhere.

"My lady! It's time to go downstairs for dinner. You should get your clothes on my lady!" Konan's voice called from behind the door.

Sakura's eyes widened in shock. She had fallen asleep while bathing. And now she had to go downstairs for dinner.

And she wasn't nearly ready. In fact, she wasn't ready at all.

"Yes! Bring me my clothes!" Sakura opened the door a crack, and grabbed the clothes from Konan's outstretched hand.

As quickly as possible, Sakura began to dry herself. After she did that, she hurriedly dried her hair while simultaneously pulling on the simple dress that went underneath the fancy one.

She grabbed the fancy dress from the table, and tried to pull it on.

Sakura cursed under her breath. The fancy dress wouldn't fit over her head.

Fuck it. She'd just wear something else.

"Konan! Bring me a different dress!" Sakura called.

A moment later, Konan appeared holding as nice and sleek green dress in her arms.

Sakura grabbed it from her and stripped off both the white under dress and the fancy one.

She tugged on the green dress, and running her fingers through her hair, she flung open the bathroom door.

Kei and Konan were sitting in the two wooden chairs by the little table. When they saw her, they shot to their feet.

"Sakura-san! What ever are you wearing?!" Kei cried in horror.

"No time to explain." Sakura said. "Let's just go and get this over with."

"But Sakura-san-!" Kei protested.

"Let's go I said!" Sakura whirled around to glare at the little Hyuuga.

Kei flinched at Sakura's voice, and Sakura felt a twinge of guilt. She thought that she had made the poor girl cry.

However, Kei bowed and said, "My apologies my lady. I was out of line."

Sakura felt slightly proud that Kei didn't cry, as most little girls would if yelled at.

Sakura flung open the door, and paused. She turned around hesitantly to Kei and Konan.

"Uh..." Sakura smiled meekly. "I, erm, don't exactly remember how to uh...get down to the-"

"I'll take you Lady Sakura." Konan interrupted, and walked past Kei and out into the corridor with Sakura. Konan shut the door behind her, and took off. Sakura hoisted up the dress and began to follow and keep up with Konan as best as she could.

Finally, the stopped outside two large oak doors. From where Sakura was standing, she could hear the low murmur of voices speaking.

"My lady, would you like to try and dry your hair before we enter?"

"Nah, I'm good. Thanks though." Sakura flashed a quick smile as the doors opened.

Sakura was momentarily blinded by the sudden brightness, and it took a few moments to realize who was in front of her and adjust appropriately.

She gasped, seeing her mother and father first. Then she saw Sasuke, and another couple who looked like Sasuke...

Oh god. She was having dinner with her parents, Sasuke, and Sasuke's parents. This was bound to be fun...

"Um...Hello." Sakura raised her hand and smiled nervously.

Her father looked indifferent while her mother looked ready to kill her with the silver knife that she held. The other two people looked surprised. Sasuke looked like he was face-palming internally.

"Sakura-chan, my daughter, what in the bloody hell are you-?"

"Sakura-chan!" The black haired woman stood, and walked over to Sakura. Grabbed her hand and shaking it, the lady said, "It's such a pleasure that you could join us!"

The woman smiled radiantly and Sakura bit her lip.

"My name is Mikoto Uchiha, and this is my husband Fugaku. And you of course already know our son!" Mikoto laughed gently.

Sakura was grateful for Mikoto not pointing out her messy appearance. Obviously she wasn't supposed to be wearing this dress. And obviously she wasn't supposed to have sopping hair at the dinner table.

Mikoto lead Sakura to her seat and then went back to her own.

"Now then," Mikoto said, "Where were we?"

"We were discussing the wedding." Sakura's mother cast a dark look at Sakura that said, 'We'll talk later'.

"Wait, what-?" Sakura began.

"I think a pale pink color would go nicely." Etsuko interrupted. "Any other color would clash with her hair."

Sakura cast a glance at Sasuke to see if he knew what they were talking about.

He, of course, wasn't of any help whatsoever.

Sakura looked down at her plate, which was empty, and decided to grab some food.

Placed on the table was a large turkey which looked very appetizing indeed to the starved girl.

She reached over and pulled the entire turkey to her and set it on her plate, receiving a look of exasperation from her father, and a look of annoyance from her mother.

"Do you think we'll need guards?" Etsuko continued on, paying no attention to her pitiful excuse of a girl. How she managed to even attract the attention of the Uchiha's son, she'd never know. Not that she was complaining or anything.

Sakura ripped into the turkey like a rabid wolf. She finished in in seconds.

Oh Kami, she's turning into the knucklehead!

Sakura grabbed the goblet, and looked at the contents. It looked to be wine. Not good.

"Could I get some water over here?" Sakura waved, and pointed to the glass. Her mother's smile turned ugly, as she continued on, ignoring her daughter.

Sasuke was confused by Sakura's strange behavior. Surely she knew what was going on here?

A servant appeared by Sakura and handed her a new goblet with water instead of wine.

Sakura grabbed it and began to glug it down.

Obviously, she had no idea what his and her parents were talking about. It seemed to Sasuke that Naruto's stupidity was rubbing off on Sakura. She was behaving like a starved animal.

"I think that we should have the honeymoon right after, don't you?" Etsuko said. Mikoto nodded.

"Hm...Maybe. But don't we want the guests to be able to congratulate them?" She suggested.

Etsuko laughed. "Normally yes, but these two love-birds can't seem to keep their hands off of each other! It seems to me that Sasuke-kun and Sakura are a bit too frisky to be able last long enough to talk to guests!"

Sakura, who was chowing down on some chicken now, began to choke at her mother's words. She grabbed the goblet, and swallowed some water. She set it down, eyes watering. Apparently her little choking fit went unnoticed by both sets of parents.

She turned and looked at Sasuke, who didn't react at all the 'frisky' statement.

"Oh yes! I just remembered!" Etsuko exclaimed. "When will the other guests arrive?"

Other guests? Mother of Kami, Sakura was going to die!

"They should be here at any moment now-"

_Bam!_

The doors flew open to reveal a blonde teenager dressed in bright orange and dark black clothes.

"Naruto Uzumaki has arrived!" Naruto proclaimed with a cheeky grin at Mikoto.

"Sorry I'm late." He said, walking over and taking the seat next to Sasuke.

How, out of all parallel universes to be in, do Sasuke and Sakura manage to end up in the one other universe where Naruto acts exactly the same? That was just how bad Sasuke's luck was.

"Hey Teme-chan, Mikoto-san, Fugaku-sama." Naruto grinned at each person respectively. "Hello to you two as well, Lord and Lady Haruno!" He bowed to them, then sat down.

"And- hey! Sakura-chan!" Naruto finally noticed Sakura's presence.

Sakura was expecting to have to fend off Naruto from hugging her like he normally did (Since this Naruto seemed to be exactly the same as her Naruto), but he just smiled happily.

Sakura smiled back. Naruto seemed the same, but he didn't have Hinata. Is that all that changed for him?

"Naruto-kun, where is Hinata-sama?" Mikoto scolded.

Scratch that, Naruto _did _have Hinata.

"I wanted to wait for her- no really!" He exclaimed at the exasperated look on Mikoto and Etsuko's faces. "But she told me to just come without her." His face turned into a childish pout, and he crossed his arms.

"Hinata's been acting different lately. I wonder what's wrong..." Naruto pondered with a faraway look in his eyes. Mikoto and Etsuko exchanged smirks. Sakura rolled her eyes.

Leave it to Naruto to not get what was going on with Hinata. Was he seriously that stupid?

"Have you asked her what's wrong?" Etsuko suggested.

Naruto nodded vigorously. "I've asked her countless of times, but she just hits me and calls me nosy and worrisome."

Well that was certainly different. Hinata from the normal universe would _never_ hurt Naruto.

"Do you know if she will be joining us tonight?" Mikoto asked.

Naruto shrugged, and grabbed an apple from one of the silver platters.

"Who else was coming tonight?" Etsuko asked.

"The King of the Sand and his siblings, and then Lady Tsunade." Mikoto ticked off each person using her fingers. "And then that's it. Not counting Princess Hinata."

Hinata was a princess?

"They should be here by now..." Mikoto said, anxiety seeping into her voice.

Just then, the doors opened, and in walked Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari.

"King Kazekage!" Mikoto stood and smiled. "It's a pleasure that you could join us."

'_Gaara's last name was Kazekage in this dimension. How ironic..._' Sakura thought bemused.

Gaara nodded at Mikoto and then addressed Fugaku and Sakura's father, Hisao.

"Lord Haruno, King Uchiha. It is such a honor to be here with you both."

Fugaku then did something that Sasuke had hardly ever seen his father do. He smiled. And at a stranger nonetheless.

"It's great that you could be here today. We haven't seen you for a while. Come, sit down with us." Fugaku gestured to now slightly filled table.

"Hey Gaara, where've you been at?!" Naruto asked boisterously, and jumped up from his seat. Then in a few strides reached Gaara and hugged him.

Sakura bit back a smile. Naruto was the same as ever. It made her homesick for the _real _Naruto.

"I've been busy running my country. Where have you been?" Gaara replied in an almost joking manner.

"I've been busy being a kid! And having fun! What the hell happened to your childhood? You're already running a country for Kami's sake!" Naruto grinned, and returned to his seat, Gaara trailing behind him with Kankuro and Temari.

The four sat down just as the doors opened once again to reveal a blonde woman and a dark haired girl.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto shouted then stood up again. "And Granny Tsunade!"

Hinata huffed, then looked away from him. "Idiot." And then went and sat next to Sakura, who had Sasuke across from her, and Naruto across from Hinata. To Sakura's right was Etsuko, and across from her was Hisao. Then seated next to Etsuko was Mikoto. Across from Mikoto was her husband, Fugaku. On the other end of the table, on Naruto's right, was Gaara, then Temari, and then Kankuro.

"You ungrateful little pig. I told you, do not call me-!"

"Tsunade-sama!" Mikoto cried, interrupting her. Tsunade cast a dark look at Naruto, then turned to Mikoto with a smile.

"Hello Mikoto-chan." Tsunade said, then hugged the woman. Tsunade sat down next to Hinata.

"Now we're all here. Feel free to help yourself to any of the food."

Naruto was just about to pounce on the second turkey, but before he could, the doors opened for the third time in the last five minutes.

"Sorry I'm late." Came the bored and familiar voice of Shikamaru. "Kakashi insisted on coming too..." He drawled walking into the room.

Sakura's gaze fell upon Kakashi and she gasped in spite of herself.

He was wearing no mask.

When Sakura was a little girl, her mother always said that for each angel in Heaven, there was a divine human counterpart on Earth. Which was why some people were prettier than others. Some had more of heaven in them, while others didn't.

If this saying was true, then Kakashi had the entire world, Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell in his face.

Sakura had never seen a face as beautiful or perfect as Kakashi's. His face was the perfect balance between masculine and feminine. His eyes, which were black like Sasuke's, sparkled with amusement and happiness. A thing that Sakura hadn't often seen in her Sensei's expression. His face was like a marble statue, perfectly carved, and perfectly...well, perfect. He was the epitome of 'beautiful'.

"Hello everyone." Kakashi said as sat across from Kankuro. Shikamaru took the seat across from Temari.

Sakura watched his lips moved, slightly mesmerized. She had never seen his mouth before.

"Sakura-san? Are you okay?" Mikoto asked.

"Um...Yes. I'm fine." Sakura managed to tear her gaze away from her Sensei's gorgeous face.

"Now then, I'm going to assume that we are all here now, since all our seats are filled." Mikoto glanced to the door, as if expecting it to interrupt her again.

She breathed a gentle sigh of relief.

"So, shall we begin with the reason why you all were called here tonight?"

"Wait," Naruto interrupted. Mikoto glanced at him.

"Yes Naruto?"

"Why is your hair all wet Sakura-chan?" He asked confused.

All eyes turned to look at the pinkette, who's cheeks immediately turned the color of her hair.

"Long story." She mumbled, and slouched down into her chair.

"I just don't know what you see in her Sasuke." Naruto said with an air of slight disdain. (Mikoto crossed her arms in annoyance that she kept being interrupted.) "She's weird, she's rude, she doesn't have the courtesy to even try to look good for dinner and-_ Do you even know if she's good in bed!?_"

This time, Sasuke was the one who began to choke on his food. Naruto pounded on his back a few times, then Sasuke turned to glare at the blondie.

"No, I don't Naruto."

"Why-?" Naruto began.

"Shut up and let my mother speak dobe." Sasuke interrupted with a glare of annoyance.

"Wha-?! Hey you little bitch-!"

"Naruto, close your mouth before I close it for you!" Hinata snapped from next to Sakura. "Don't diss my friend!"

Naruto looked at Hinata, and immediately deflated. "Sorry Hinata-chan. I just-"

"Let Uchiha-san speak, Naruto." Gaara said.

"No one can speak Naruto. He only speaks in stupid." Kankuro murmured.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU SAY CAT-GUY?!" Naruto scooted back his chair and stood. Kankuro stood up as well.

"I SAID, YOU'RE STUPID AS FU-!"

"Dammit, Kankuro close your mouth before you say something you'll regret!" Temari hissed.

Tsunade chuckled. "He already did."

"Hey, Kankuro, sit your ass down. It'll be a drag if I have to try and restrain you." Shikamaru said lazily.

"Shikamaru's right Naruto. I don't want to have to restrain you." Kakashi said with a warning tone in his voice.

"Shut it Old man Kakashi! No one asked you!" Naruto snapped back at the silver-haired man.

"Naruto-san, that is very rude! Apologize to Kakashi-san right now!" Etsuko ordered from the other end of the table.

"He reminds me of you kind of, Etsuko..." Hisao said thoughtfully.

"Excuse me?" Etsuko turned to her husband. "But _what did you say?!_"

"Nothing!" Hisao said fearfully, waving his hands. "I didn't say anything!"

"I knew we shouldn't have invited the Uzumaki..." Fugaku muttered darkly.

"Don't say that!" Mikoto scolded. "He's like family to us."

"But look at the trouble he's just caused-"

"I DIDN'T CAUSE ANY TROUBLE! I'M A PERFECT CHILD!" Naruto shouted.

Sakura groaned, then sank even lower in her chair.

Why couldn't they just "SHUT UP DAMMIT!". A fist was then slammed on the table, breaking it in half with the amount of chakra being unintentionally used.

Whoa, when did she stand up? Did she yell that?

Everyone looked back to the pinkette in surprise.

"Uh...Sakura-chan? Are you-?"

"Shut up Naruto." Sakura snapped. "You're the reason this all started."

Naruto gulped, and sat down meekly. As stealthily as possible, he pulled a cake, which was miraculously undamaged, onto his lap.

"I'm going to bed." She announced to the room. No one moved, or said a word as she stepped away from the broken table with the destroyed food.

"And Sasuke," Sakura stopped at the door and turned to look at the raven-haired man. She almost laughed at seeing him recoil slightly under her sharp green gaze.

"Yes?"

"Come to my room with me. I need to talk to you."

No one spoke as Sasuke stood up from the rubble, and walked to the doors.

"I guess you're going to try her out tonight- Oomph!" Naruto was cut off for Sasuke had shoved his face in the cake which luckily was sitting on Naruto's lap.

The two exited to now extremely messy dining room, and walked upstairs to Sakura's room.

The entire time, Sasuke kept thinking the strangest things like, 'I wonder if Sakura is good in bed.'

No Sasuke, she's a teammate. Control yourself.

'Has she ever even slept with someone?'

Most likely yea- wait no. Stop. Let's not think about this now...

Finally they arrived at her room, and they both walked in. Sakura immediately let out a sigh, and fell onto her bed.

"So, why did you want to talk to me?" He asked, closing the door, then going and sitting on the wooden chair in front of her mirror.

Sakura was silent for a moment, then sat up a serious expression on her beautiful face.

'I'm going to ignore that last comment...' Sasuke thought.

"We are getting married in two weeks Sasuke."

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**Yea, again with the crappy ending, but I just can't find a proper place to end it! ****:)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello there. I'm bored. And tired. That is all. Bye.**

* * *

Sasuke stared blankly at his teammate.

"What makes you think I didn't already know that?" He replied with an eyeroll.

Sakura huffed in annoyance. "I'm just trying to give you an edge here. I've been learning as much as I could about this universe's Sakura, and it seems that she has about only two emotions."

Sakura sat up, and motioned for Sasuke to come closer.

Sasuke, giving a sigh of annoyance, stood up and went and sat on the edge of the bed.

Sakura scooted over closer to Sasuke, but not too close, otherwise she might not be able to stop herself from bashing his brains in. Of course, he'd easily stop her, but it was still worth a shot.

"The first of these," She began quieter this time. "Is her extreme bitchy attitude of, 'I'm the Princess. I do what I want when I want to.' She also doesn't like to exercise. I got this from the way Neji reacted when I told him I'd been practicing at sparring."

"Neji? You mean Neji Hyuuga?" Sasuke asked sharply. Sakura narrowed her eyes.

"Yes. Why?" She asked warily.

Sasuke shook his head. "Later. What else did you get?"

"Um..." Sakura bit her lip. "This is going to be hard to pull off, since...well you know..."

"Get to the point Sakura."

"Right." She sighed. "This Sakura was completely head-over-heels for this Sasuke. She worshipped the ground he walked."

Sasuke almost smiled. Sakura would have to pretend to be a fangirl. Poor her. She used to be, so what was the problem pretending to be a fangirl now?

"That's not it Sasuke." Sakura nearly snarled. She could just feel him laughing inwardly, and was looking forward to bursting his bubble. "This Sasuke is _also _head-over-heels for this Sakura."

That wiped all amusement from Sasuke's mind. His anger solidified even more at Sakura's next comment.

"You're a fanboy of mine."

Sasuke stood up, and moved away from Sakura. "Hell no."

"Hey, do I look happy about this? If we're going to be here, we gotta act our parts dammit!" Sakura snapped. "Behind closed doors, we don't have to do shit alright? I'm about as pleased about our predicament as you are."

Sasuke glared at the pinkette, who glared right back. She wasn't backing down any time soon.

Sasuke broke the silent staring contest, and walked back to the door.

"Wait!" Sakura called just as his hand grasped the doorknob. "What did you find out?"

Sasuke was silent for a moment before saying, "Both Naruto's and my parents are alive."

Sakura watched Sasuke's shoulders tense up as he nearly whispered the next part.

"So is Itachi."

With those words, Sasuke left her room before he could receive her false pity and sympathy.

* * *

Sakura watched him close the door behind him, and felt a slight twinge of sadness. If she could've taken any part of his pain onto her shoulders, just to help his poor tortured soul to feel some release from the hell that he was in, she would have.

Yea, she hated him but no one deserved what Sasuke went through. No matter how horrible they were.

A few moments after Sasuke left, Kei and Konan walked in. At least Konan did. Kei almost fell on top of Sakura because she thought it would be a good idea to prance into the room like a child.

'But she is a child...' Inner Sakura thought with an eyeroll.

"My lady!" She whooped and stopped short of running into the pinkette.

"Yes?" Sakura asked bemusedly.

"Sasuke-sama! You-! He was-!"

"Your point?" Sakura asked.

"Did he and you- Mmph!" Konan clamped her petite hand over Kei's loud mouth.

"I apologize on behalf of Kei-chan, Lady Sakura. She is still learning how to properly serve royalty, and does not fully think of what she is saying before she says it." Konan bowed slightly, and released Kei who glared at the blue haired woman.

"I'm almost finished with my training, Konan! I'm way ahead of the rest of the kids!" Sakura looked over to her in surprise. What other kids? Did that mean other children were servants in this castle? Isn't that child slavery?

"I'm going to be the best maid ever! I'm really glad that I got you as a mentor Konan! You're really smart, and I know you'll help me obtain my goal of..." Kei pulled out one of the chairs and stood on it.

"Becoming the best Hyuuga servant!"

Sakura gasped as she suddenly remembered.

Kei was the little girl that had been killed in Sakura's world. She was a branch member girl, who was intent on not following the path that her predecessors had. She wanted to change her destiny. Sakura had remembered the few words that she heard about Kei.

Loud, brazen, bright... She was the Hyuuga equivalent of Naruto Uzumaki.

And she was also a dead girl walking.

"My lady?" Konan asked Sakura, who's face was horror-struck.

"I'm...I'm okay." She lied, then moved away towards her bed. She felt guilty for yelling at Kei earlier. Poor girl...

"So, would you like me to draw up a bath my lady?" Kei asked getting down from the car.

"No, I'm okay Kei." Sakura replied smiling gently. Kei raised an eyebrow.

"Is this about before? 'Cause I'm fine My Lady. It takes more than yelling to get me down!" Kei proclaimed with a wide grin.

"Right. It's not that though..." Sakura muttered, and sat on her bed.

"This dress is a casual dress right?"

"Yes it is My Lady. That's why I was shocked when you called for it. Even more so when you wore it to dinner." Konan replied. Sakura frowned. She still had a lot to learn.

"Right, I'm going to go to sleep now." Sakura murmured. She could feel the fatigue seeping into her. Time travel reminded Sakura of when she would travel to another village and their time would be different than Konoha's. Which meant that whenever people were sleeping at midnight, she was wide awake because it felt like noon. (A/N: Pretty much jet lag...that's what I'm trying to describe.)

"Would you like to change clothes My Lady?" Kei asked.

"Uh...I'm fine. I'll just take off this dress."

Kei and Konan exchanged a look that was clearly questioning Sakura's sanity.

"Are you sure my lady?" Konan asked.

Sakura nodded, and scoffed. "Of course! Are you questioning my authority?"

Konan and Kei smiled. "No. We wouldn't even dream of it, My Lady."

"Good," Sakura said with a nod. "Now, go away. I am going to bed."

The two servants left Sakura alone. The moment they closed the door behind them, Sakura nearly ripped off the tight dress. Underneath was the corset and white under gown she'd been wearing when she woke up.

Immediately she roughly pulled the strings on the back of her corset in a desperate attempt to get it off. However, she only managed to make it even more tangled.

"Ugh..." Sakura groaned in frustration. Finally she decided to just get Konan to help her.

Sakura marched to the door and opened it. Looking into the hallway, she could see no one. It was dark in the corridor, only lit by the light from her room and the dim glow of a candle perched on the wall.

Konan was probably already downstairs. Dammit...

Sakura huffed, then grabbing the candle in her room, she walked into the hallway.

It was kind of eerie. Especially since the every step she took, the floor creaked ominously. She honestly had no idea why she left at all.

'You were going to find Konan.' She thought.

'Don't castles have those bells that can just call the servants?" Inner thought.

Goddammit.

Well, it was too late to turn back now. She'd just have to continue on until she found someone, or they found her.

She walked for a bit longer until she nearly fell on the stairs. Whoa, did she walk that far in that short of a time?

Sakura was standing at the top of the grand staircase. The light from her candle cast very little light on the tall ceilings and the stairs. The darkness seemed to be creeping up on her from all sides.

All she wanted wast his stupid corset off, was that too much to ask? Seriously?

Sakura used her sensory chakra to see if anyone was nearby. Oddly enough, there was no sign of chakra networks. She could sense the servants' presence nearby somewhere, but couldn't tell where exactly they were. Which could mean only one thing...

People in this world had no chakra networks.

She could easily sense the presence of people, but their chakra systems were nonexistent. However, she sensed someone else...Someone who did have a chakra system right behind her...

Sakura whipped around, expecting to see her fellow teammate. Instead, it was Hinata carrying an oil lamp.

"Uh, Hinata-chan?" Sakura asked the blue haired girl cautiously.

"What in the bloody hell are you wearing?!" Hinata gasped. "Do you honestly have no shame?!"

Sakura looked down at herself. She was wearing the damned corset and the white under dress.

"Um...This isn't too revealing is it?" She said chuckling nervously.

Hinata rolled her eyes. "What ever has happened to you and Sasuke? You both seem very different lately."

Sakura shrugged. Shit, she forgot to act like a bitch!

That has got to be the strangest thing she's ever thought...

"Don't question love!" Sakura said.

"See! You were acting all strange and weird, then suddenly you're back to normal. Something's up..." Sakura swallowed.

Hinata sighed tiredly. "I woke up because I could hear you pounding down the corridors loud as an elephant." She said. Sakura's eyes widened. She didn't think she was _that_ loud...

Hinata saw the fear and worry in Sakura's eyes and dismissed them with a gentle and quiet laugh, which reminded Sakura of the Hinata back home.

"Don't worry. You know I'm a light sleeper. I wake up if a feather hits the floor!" She joked. "C'mon, come and keep me company for a while, since you're up anyway and I won't be able to get to sleep any time soon."

Sakura bit her lip, then began to follow Hinata back to her room.

Upon entering, Sakura noticed how messy it was. Dresses were scattered about the room, empty tea sets were stacked on the little wooden table, the bathroom door was open, and Sakura could see the numerous towels tossed on the floor, and also noticed the unusual amount of pillows on the bed.

Hinata closed the door behind her and Sakura went and stood in the middle of the room. Hinata then, setting down the lamp first, gently detangled the strings on the corset, and helped her take it off.

"Thanks." Sakura said, then went and sat on the edge of the bed.

"So," Hinata began, sitting down and crossing her legs. "What exactly possessed you to just decide to wander about the castle at night in nothing but a corset and under garment?"

"I...um...Was looking for the servant headquarters so I could have Konan untie me."

"Why didn't you just ring for her?"

"What?"

Hinata sighed exasperatedly. "What is wrong with you? Did you develop amnesia or something? Honestly," Hinata stood up again and strode over to the wall. There was four bells attached to strings which, very obviously, ran through the walls.

"You grab this string," Hinata picked up the other end of the line of rope. "And ring it, then a servant comes to wait on you, depending on which bell you ring."

Sakura nodded. She had actually read about this old form of communicating to servants, and knew about it, but in the heat of the moment, she let her logic get away from her.

"Right, yes. I just forgot." Sakura said waspishly. "Because as you know, I'm used to having servants already waiting. I haven't really ever used the bells because Konan and Kei are already there to serve me."

Hinata looked back and the pinkette. Sakura couldn't read her expression.

"Are you sure you're okay Sakura-chan?" Hinata asked. She sounded so much like the old Hinata, Sakura could almost pretend that she was back home, and that this was just some big movie that they were acting out.

And if they were acting, then Sakura was doing a pretty poor job of it.

"I'm fine dammit!" She said, and stood up. "Why do you think that I'm not?! Honestly, Hinata- _GAH!_"

Sakura was suddenly tangled in covers and someone's arms. These arms were extremely muscular, had abdominal muscles (Times 10), and from the feel of it, the person had no breasts.

Which meant that this was a guy.

Which meant that this was probably Naruto.

Goddammit Naruto.

"Hinata! _Get him off of me!_" Sakura hissed. She heard a loud snore right in her ear.

How did she _not_ realize that those "pillows" were a person?

"Shit!" Hinata cursed, and grabbed Naruto's right arm, which was wrapped around Sakura's waist.

"Mmm...Hina-bunny..." He mumbled under his breath, then chuckled sensually.

"Oh mother of kami, help me!" Sakura yelped, no longer trying to keep her voice down.

Hinata bit back a string of cussing, and dug her nails into Naruto's arm, trying to get him to either wake up, or release her.

"Naruto! Wake the fuck up, you lazy fat sack of shit!" Hinata yelled in his ear.

Naruto frowned, then turned to Hinata, eyes still closed.

"You don't want to have-?"

"Nope." Hinata interrupted his sleep-talking. "In maybe ten seconds. But let go for a moment."

Naruto literally growled, and released the ruffled Sakura.

"Holy shit." Sakura muttered, and moved a safe distance away from the bed.

"C'mere Nata-chan..." Naruto mumbled, a smile plastered on his face. Hinata looked at Sakura.

"You should probably go.." She said, an angry look on her face. "That bastard is going to pay for making a move on you."

"But he's asleep-!"

"Go. Now."

Sakura didn't argue and left for her room. When she got there, she just fell onto the bed without even attempting to find blankets or anything. Sakura was hoping that she'd just wake up and this was all a horrible dream.

Yes, that's all this was. Some fucked up dream. Nothing more, nothing less.

Little did Sakura know, tomorrow was going to be an interesting day to say the least.

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**Heyyy! I updated for you darlings! :3333 I hope you enjoyed this, cause I really like writing this! And until next time, farewell! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Good lord my back hurts. Enjoy.**

* * *

Sasuke was ready to stab the next person would smiled at him and Sakura and asked if they performed coitus. Oh, and the famous, 'Are you excited for your marriage?'

To which both he and Sakura would have to smile happily and reply, 'Yes, yes we are.'

They were puppets. Puppets that were growing weary of smiling for the audience, and wanted to leave.

The entire ordeal was just generally very unappealing to both Sakura and Sasuke.

"You two are so beautiful together!" An elderly woman smiled brightly at the two.

Sakura nodded and smiled back, while Sasuke tried his best to keep up the plastic grin on his face. He hasn't smiled like this for a long time, and didn't think he ever would again. Not after this.

"Darling, why don't we go get some champagne?" Sakura said smiled kindly at Sasuke, who she could sense, was about to slaughter everyone in the room.

So she pulled her "fiancee" to the kitchen where the Chef and the servants quickly attempted to look busy cleaning or cooking.

"My Prince, My Lady, what brings you here-?"

"Chef, would you and your servants ever so kindly leave the kitchen? Just for a teensy moment?" Sakura flashed the Chef a dazzling and beautiful smile.

"Uh, My Lady, apologies, however I am afraid that-"

"_Get out._" Sakura interrupted, her face morphing into a curdling sneer that made the servants scurry away. While the Chef, bowed nervously then also left as quickly as his pudgy legs could carry him, leaving Sakura and Sasuke alone.

"Sasuke, you need to pull it together." Sakura said staring intensely into his dark eyes.

"The people out there, I can't stand them!" He snarled, leaning against the long wooden table.

"Neither can I, but I'm not complaining am I?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the pink-haired woman. "I am not complaining."

"Then what are you doing? Brooding over your own misery and loss of your sense of self-righteousness?"

Sasuke nearly smacked her, but just barely contained himself. Out of all situations to be stuck in, this had to be the worst.

He and Sakura were at each other's throats for years. Every little interaction was meant to lower the other's ego and arrogant superiority.

Sakura had long lost her devotion to the Uchiha after he made no apology to her and Naruto for what he did. While Naruto was all open-arms and, 'Sasuke's home, what news!' Sakura couldn't stand the thought of his smug and annoying face to be anywhere within her presence.

The same thing applied to Sasuke, though for different reasons.

He would never be caught dead saying the words, 'I'm sorry' because one, it would destroy any shred of his ego that hadn't already been ripped to pieces by Kakashi and Tsunade's speech on how he should NOT try to kill people.

Because killing is bad. No kill. Bad Sasuke for killing.

And two, apologizing in general was a task that he'd always struggled with. Especially since he wasn't sure on how to go about it.

He was thankful for Naruto's forgive-and-forget personality, which meant no apologies necessary. Sakura, on the other hand, seemed to expected Sasuke to get on his knees and beg like a common dog.

Which made him all the more determined to _not _apologize. She would act all high and mighty if he did. Sasuke wouldn't be able to stand it.

"Okay," Sakura sighed. "Let's just go back out there, alcohol in hand, and try to forget about the fact that we don't get along the best,"(Sasuke scoffed.) "And forget about the impending arranged marriage that we'll most likely have to act out for the sake of the Sakura and Sasuke of this universe."

Sasuke grit his teeth, and pushed off of the table. "Alright. Let's go."

So Sakura grabbed two flutes of champagne for them, and they exited the kitchen looking like the happiest couple on earth.

Eventually, the guests began to dwindle down until it was only Sasuke and Sakura in the ball room.

Thus ended their painful game of pretend around people they hardly knew. Sasuke and Sakura then went their separate ways.

However, they forgot the charades when they were around Naruto and Hinata, who were still staying in the Uchiha mansion.

Sasuke and Sakura were walking up the stairs, not holding hands, not giving any sign that the other was there. Suddenly, Hinata and Naruto appeared on the upper left staircase holding hands. Noticing their presence, Hinata let go of Naruto, and made her way towards Sakura as quickly as she could while in a tight corset and dress.

"Sakura! What's wrong?" Hinata asked, casting a glare towards Sasuke.

"What do you mean?" Sakura said lifting an eyebrow.

"Why are you ignoring him?" Hinata stage whispered, still glaring at Sasuke who glared back.

"We're okay, honestly! Why would you even ask?" Sakura said with a light laugh and an eye roll.

"Yes. We're fine. Leave us alone." Sasuke said his voice just barely revealing a hint of annoyance.

"But, you two weren't acknowledging each other at all!" Hinata said.

"No, we're okay-"

"You're lying." Naruto interrupted Sakura.

"Naruto, we're fine!" Sakura hissed angrily. "Shut up, and go away!"

She then grabbed Sasuke's hand, and held it tightly. Holding their hands in front of Hinata and Naruto Sakura spoke. "It's fine, see?"

"Are you two sure you're okay?" Hinata asked, narrowing her eyes at the soon-to-be-wed 'couple'.

"Yes, we're perfectly fine!" Sakura said haughtily. "Why would you ever question true love?"

"You know, you're _still _a terrible liar. And an ugly liar too." Naruto said rolling his eyes. Immediately, there were protests from every side.

"Don't insult her dobe."

"Don't call me ugly!"

"Don't call Sakura ugly you ignorant pig!"

"Whoa..." Naruto grinned to try and hide his fear of Hinata. "Sorry, I was just joking ya know!"

Hinata moved in front of Naruto. Grabbing the front of his shirt in her hands, she pulled him down to her face. "You and I both know you were not joking, _Uzumaki_." She snarled.

"Hehe, sorry Hinata!" Naruto mumbled looking away from said girl, who looked as if she was struggling to not slap him.

"We'll be going now." Sakura said quickly. She then grabbed Sasuke's hand, and began to pull him up the stairs and then down the hallway.

"Why aren't you sharing rooms?!" Hinata yelled, her voice echoing throughout the mansion towards the retreating couples backs.

"You see?" Hinata said, and released Naruto. He narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah. They're acting really off. It's odd."

"Isn't it?" Hinata replied, staring at the hall they'd walked down.

The couple had always seemed sort of...weird. But now they seemed downright and completely odd to everyone and everything around them.

She'd witnessed Sasuke walking into the wrong room a handful of times, only to see him reappear a second later looking slightly embarrassed. She's seen Sakura search around for the kitchen, and become lost.

But that wasn't the weird part. No, the weird part was that Sakura was looking for the kitchen. She hardly ever ate, and suddenly now she is?

It was like her and her fiancee had changed over night.

"Something's wrong with them, and we're going to find out what!" Hinata said determinedly, and taking hold of Naruto's hand, brought him to their room.

* * *

**Hello. Chapters. Yay. No one even reads these. These are like Tumblr tags, no one bothers to look at these. LOL. I could probably say whatever I wanted, and no one would notice. But I ain't riskin' that so...Nah.**


	10. Chapter 10

**It's been ages. Though most of my updates always are... Enjoy.**

* * *

"You've improved nearly overnight!" Neji panted.

Him, Sakura, and Kei were in the same place as 2 days ago, Sakura and Neji sparring once again. Somehow, Sakura had improved from the whiny out of shape princess, into a warrior in a mere fortnight. It was a miracle to Neji, who expected Sakura's training to take much longer.

It shocked him even more that _he _was the one out of breath and gasping for air, rather than her, who looked as if she hadn't just been in a brutal spar.

"Tired already?" Sakura asked jokingly. Neji shook his head. Him and the little servant girl, Kei, cast each other confused and surprised looks. How does a person improve this much in fighting in merely 24 hours?

"How are you doing this?" Neji asked breathlessly, sitting upon the little wooden bench meant for Sakura to rest upon.

"Doing what...?" She asked slowly.

"This." He gestured to her perfect clothes, and relaxed posture. Sakura didn't even look tired. She looked exactly as she did prior to the spar.

"How is it that you somehow improve your skills overnight?" Neji asked, staring curiously at Sakura.

Sakura shrugged, though she really knew why. The training in this universe here was much easier than the rigorous training ninja went through.

In the regular world, fighting Neji would've proved to be challenging, as he was quite advanced in fighting, and had the genius to back it up as well. While the Neji in this universe was much weaker by comparison.

"Is it sorcery?" Kei said jokingly.

Without warning, Neji was suddenly on his feet and standing over the girl, a dangerous expression upon his features.

"You know better Kei. Hold your tongue." He whispered, and cast a worried look at Sakura.

Sakura narrowed her eyes. So sorcery was a sore point then...?

"Leave her be, Neji!" Sakura waved her hand dismissively. "She's just a servant girl after all!" She said, with a smile and a wink at Kei.

"But, Lady Sak-"

"_I said leave her be._" Sakura snarled, her formerly kind smile turning into an evil glare directed at Neji.

"Right. My apologies." Neji said with a deep bow, and stepped away from Kei.

Sakura smiled again, and approached Kei.

"Why did he tell you that you know better?" Sakura asked sweetly.

Kei fidgeted under Sakura's bright piercing gaze. "Well, My Lady...I thought you already knew?" Kei said, looking at Sakura sheepishly.

"Knew what?" Sakura asked quickly.

"Of the rumors that are circling about us."

"Kei-" Neji began.

"Silence, Hyuuga." Sakura snapped. It was sorta fun, being able to order around the great Neji Hyuuga like this. She was sort of enjoying it...

"What are those rumors Kei?" Sakura asked, smiling her sweetest.

"Well...The Hyuuga, we've been rumored anyway, to be powerful sorcerers." Kei finished quietly looking down at her dirty feet.

"Is that all?" Sakura asked, slightly surprised. Magic? Seriously?

"Yes." Kei said, biting her lip, obviously nervous about what Sakura would say next.

Sakura tilted her head slightly in thought. She remembered how the other night when she'd though that it was Sasuke, since no one else in this universe had chakra, and it was actually Hinata.

Sakura closed her eyes, and shockingly, felt two chakra networks come in contact with her own.

Most of the time, when you want chakra to come in contact with another, you must be giving chakra by healing, skin to skin contact, etc. However, Sakura could feel both Kei and Neji's chakra, as if she was healing them both.

Her eyes shot open at the unexpected contact of foreign chakra, and she instinctively took a step back. Neji and Kei too looked surprised.

"What was that feeling?" Kei asked fearfully.

"You felt it too?" Neji said turning to look at the girl.

Sakura blinked. They felt her. And they were obviously unaware of their chakra. It would probably be best to keep it that way.

"I sense...evil here." Sakura said with a frown. "We should leave."

"I agree."

"Yea, let's get out of here."

The two Hyuuga immediately agreed without argument, and they left the garden, leaving the interaction behind them.

* * *

"Sasuke-teme!" Naruto yelled from across the castle, his voice carrying and reaching it's intended person.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, and ignored the idiot. He had more important things to deal with than the stupid blonde. He was more preoccupied on pretending to be the Sasuke Uchiha of this world.

Which meant being nice.

Sasuke was many things. Dangerous, dark, brooding, silent, scary, intimidating: Nice was not one of these. Playing as a nice fellow, who smiled often was wearing on him. And he'd only been here two days.

Out of those two days, he'd only seen his "fiancee" once. So he was unable to receive regular updates on how she was faring.

"SASUKE!" Naruto screamed, louder and closer to Sasuke this time.

Sasuke sped up in his brisk walking. He was currently on his way to find Sakura. They needed to begin working on how to escape from this world before their "marriage".

Marriage...It didn't sound too bad honestly. But Sasuke just didn't feel ready to give himself completely over to a person. He hardly knew his own emotions, let alone sharing them with a spouse.

That's why he didn't want to get married. Sakura hated him, and he wasn't sure she was too keen on the idea of marrying him either.

"HEY!"

Sasuke sighed, and turned to face Naruto, who was walking towards him. He needed to speak to Sakura-

"Going to see your wife, eh?" Naruto cackled, and wrapped an arm around Sasuke's neck.

"She's not my wife." Sasuke said coldly, not even attempting to pretend to be the other Sasuke. He was at his breaking point with all of this kindness and smiling.

"Whoa there." Naruto said, and immediately released him. "Calm it down, we're okay."

"Leave me alone, dobe." He snapped instantly.

Instead of yelling and screaming, as he would've normally done, he instead narrowed his eyes and said something so unlike the regular Naruto.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm fine." Came Sasuke's instant reply.

"You've been acting strange for last two days. Do you really think I wouldn't notice?" He said raising an eyebrow.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted.

Naruto stared with a piercing gaze into Sasuke's soul (If the poor boy still had one). He obviously didn't believe Sasuke and his "I'm fine".

"Seriously, you and Sakura...You both have been acting really unusual. Something happened, but what- Hey!" Naruto yelled.

Sasuke had walked away, ignoring Naruto. Already, they'd begun to draw suspicion to themselves. They needed to step up their game if they were going to continue this facade.

He continued onward towards the garden where he overheard one of the maids say they saw Sakura training with Neji. He definitely needed to speak to her.

"Sasuke?" He turned around to see Sakura, walking with a tired looking Neji, and a small Hyuuga maid.

"I was just looking for you." He said, again not attempting to pretend to be happy to see her.

"Why?" She asked.

"We need to talk." He replied, then glanced condescendingly at Neji and the little girl. "Alone, if you two don't mind."

Neji bowed saying, "Of course, My Prince." Then disappeared down the hall.

The little girl rolled her eyes, but followed Neji away.

"Naruto suspects something. Even more so than I thought." Sasuke said the moment the two Hyuuga were out of earshot.

"Yea, so does Hinata." Sakura replied.

"If the dobe suspects, then they may not be the only ones." Sasuke muttered darkly, crossing his arms in front of him.

"We need to do better."

Sakura sighed. She already couldn't stand having to hold his hand, and smile at him, and pretend to be "in love" with the man that abandoned the village...and her.

"I know. But..." She bit her lip.

"But what? Do better. That's it." He snapped, and glared at her.

"Hey, don't pin this all on me! If anyone suspects anything, it's partially _your _fault too!" She snapped back.

Sasuke ran a hand through his hair agitatedly. "Fine, we're both to blame. Whatever. Just- okay, we need to act more...Not like ourselves."

"Right." Sakura agreed nodding. "Have you noticed that everyone here is the complete opposite of themselves?"

"Yes. Why would I not-?"

"Then think, how do you and I normally act?" She interrupted.

"..."

"We hate each other, right. So, then we just have to act like we love each other with every fiber of our beings. Even more than we have been."

"I don't-"

"Look, I know this will be hard, but like you said...we have to step it up." She said staring up, and staring hard at him.

"Of course." Sasuke muttered.

"Right then..." Sakura began, slightly awkward. "I'm just gonna go...clean up." She mumbled, and walked past Sasuke and down the hall towards her room.

All without a single glance back.

She would not give him the satisfaction of looking back. Maybe it seemed a little weird, but to her, looking back to him would show her uncertainty about the entire situation.

This entire issue, the whole alternate dimension travel thing, scared Sakura. She remembered being teleported once with Naruto to a world where his parents were alive and hers were dead (That was a sad few days.) She knew how hard it was to get home...She could hardly remember how exactly they did though.

It was especially unfortunate to that this time, they travelled because they'd opened a book. This was extremely different from when Tobi teleported her and her teammate to another world.

That was one thought that plagued her almost every waking moment. Whenever she wasn't busy concentrating on her little facade, she was thinking of a way to get home. Maybe a jutsu?

Though there was no jutsu she knew of besides Obito's that could go to other dimensions. And Obito was, sadly, dead. So he was out of the question. Sakura had never come across any jutsu in the archives either. Maybe Sasuke...?

She wrinkled her nose in disgust.

Sakura had forgotten about the brooding Uchiha. He was the last Uchiha, he might know something. Though it would hurt her pride to ask the man she hated for help, it had to be done to get out of this world.

Sasuke...

He'd changed in the last few years of being back in Konoha. Even if he was still intimidating and silent, he'd became more polite, and more even-tempered than he used to be.

But now was not the time to reflect on her teammate.

She finally arrived at the door to her room, and pushed it open-

Only to find that there was another person's clothes set in a neat pile on the chair...in front of a new dresser. In her room.

"What the hell?" Sakura spoke aloud in surprise. Stepping further into her room, she discovered that more space had been taken up with the clothes.

She also noted how the clothes were male.

Sakura wandered into the bathroom, and saw a blue toothbrush next to her pink one. (She was pleasantly surprised to discover that even in this medieval and unadvanced world, toothbrushes and toothpaste existed.)

"My Lady!"

Sakura peeked out the doors of the bathroom into her bedroom, to see Kei standing there looking oddly bashful for someone with her loud personality.

"What is it?"

"I've been looking for you ever since I heard about the change in rooms-"

"Change in rooms?"

"Yes. More guests for the wedding have arrived, so you're going to share a room with-"

Suddenly, the door swung open...and in walked Sasuke, looking immensely displeased.

"What are doing?" Sakura snapped, narrowing her eyes.

"I was told that I had to move rooms because of the amount of guests...and that this was to be where I was staying."

"Kei, what is he doing here?!" Sakura glared at the girl who looked afraid.

"I'm sorry! But," A frown crossed her face. "You two are getting married so why-?"

"Nevermind. It's fine." Sakura interrupted. "We're fine, I mean!" She moved next to Sasuke and hugged his arm.

Kei watched the two suspiciously, Sasuke in particular.

Sasuke rolled his eyes internally, then wrapped his arm arm Sakura's waist with a small smile.

"Yes. We'd like some..." Sasuke decided to beef up the act by acting all lovey-dovey.

He gave Sakura a once-over. "Alone time, if you don't mind."

Kei gagged, then without another word ran out of the room.

Immediately, the two released each other. Sasuke oddly felt a strange feeling in his chest when he released the pinkette. He dismissed it as...well something.

Maybe he had heartburn.

"We have to share a room?!" She said, falling backwards onto the bed. "_Seriously?!_"

Sasuke didn't answer, and instead opted to sit in the wooden chair in front of Sakura's mirror.

"We'll figure something out." Sasuke mumbled to himself.

Why did the world hate him so?


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello, here is another update. And I'm not sure whether or not this chapter merits a warning, but I thought I should include this. I created a made up religion for this world. I apologize if it sounds close to any real religion, and my intentions are not to insult. **

**I don't think it will, but just to be on the safe side...**

* * *

"I'm bored."

"What do you want me to do about that?"

"I don't know..."

Sasuke and Sakura were trapped next to each other in the front row of the chapel where the Uchihas and their guests came to hold a mass, or a sacrifice, or whatever they were doing.

The upside was no one sat in their row as it was custom to let those soon to be wed have as much time alone together with God as possible.

The downside was they had to stay after the mass to pray together for the next 3 hours.

"Stop squirming." Sasuke mumbled under his breath.

"I can't help it. This dress is killing me." Sakura muttered back just as quiet.

"And now, we pray to our Lord God, our king, our salvation, our guide to the light!"

There was a chorus of 'Amens.', then everyone stood, and raised their hands upward.

Unfortunately, since they were in the front, Sasuke and Sakura couldn't see what everyone else was doing. Thus, they failed to raise their hands, and received many confused looks.

"What is he doing?" Sakura asked looking at the minister who was bowing continuously to the altar.

"How would I know?" Sasuke replied in annoyance. "Just shut up and watch."

"Fine." Sakura huffed quietly.

"And now, we bring forward our sacrifice!" The minister called.

From the door behind the minister, came a man cloaked holding a little lamb.

"They're not-?" Sakura stopped short upon seeing the minister pull forth a long shining blade from beneath his robes.

"Oh no..." She whispered. Sasuke glanced over at her in time to see her face turn even more pale than it normally was. He found it odd that she couldn't bear to watch a lamb be slaughtered, but attacking and possibly killing a human was no problem.

She was definitely an odd one...

The man brought the lamb over to the altar, and tied it to the tall golden pole rising up from the middle of the large altar. Stepping aside, the man bowed and walked back into the back room.

"Now...we will sacrifice this offering to our humble God and his handymen!"

"Handymen?" Sakura whispered, a bewildered expression crossing her features.

"Shut up and watch." Sasuke whispered back quite harshly.

"In honor of their betrothment, and keeping with the traditions of our ancestors before us, I now invite the couple, Sasuke Uchiha and his soon-to-be-wife Sakura Haruno, to the altar of our God!"

There was a loud chorus of clapping and orderly applause for Sasuke and Sakura. Both of whom cast wary glances at the other.

Slowly, they stood and exited the pew. Making their way to the altar, Sakura began to get a feeling of extreme discomfort. They weren't going to...to kill it.

Were they?

"Here you are My Lord," The minister said, handing the blade to Sasuke. "As you all know, though I assume no one here needs to hear the instructions-" Rumbles of laughter broke out among the crowd, who obviously felt the same. Though for Sasuke and Sakura, their fates rested on the minister's next few words.

"The bridegroom to be must first give thanks and offering to our God in a few words. Then of course, he and his bride to be will both grasp the blade, and sacrifice the lamb to our God above in Paradise!"

The crowd cheered for their prince and princess, who both plastered on plastic smiles to hide their true emotions.

Sasuke, who could care less, was doing his best to continue the charade as agreed between him and Sakura.

Sakura, who was hyperventilating now, was doing her best to calm her breathing and suck it up.

The secret that she kept for all these years now (The one Sasuke was about to discover) was that she'd never killed a human (Nor had she ever killed an animal that hadn't attempted to kill her first) before. Though she had a reputation for taking down S-Class criminals, she never actually killed them. She'd normally flay them to within an inch of life, and then give them over to the ANBU for interrogation.

There'd been a few instances in which she had no choice, but to kill her target, but that was always a last resort. Always.

This was the first she'd ever willing take the life of a living creature.

She had never let anyone know about her secret, (except her Shisou of course) and intended to keep it that way. Especially since the secret was so stupid, and made her seem weak.

"And now, I will allow our Prince to give us his words of wisdom." The minister took a step away from the altar, leaving a nervous Sasuke with a sacrificial knife, and a shaking Sakura.

What on earth was he going to say? These weren't his people. He wasn't a prince...

What a drag.

Sasuke chuckled to himself. He'd taken a leaf from Nara's book and added it to his own list of words.

Maybe that's what he could do. Take other people's words instead of trying and fumbling at making his own.

"My fellow...people." He began lamely. "These last few weeks have been...life-changing."

Sakura looked sideways at him, still a bit fearful, but her curiosity got the best of her, and she found herself drawn to his words.

"Though we've had our ups and downs, we've managed to carry on through these hardships and continue through life with our heads held high." He paused here to think for a moment.

"When we were lost and alone, we carried on. Though people had died, their memories carried on through us. We did it all. With every broken bone, every soldier sacrificed, I swear we lived. We fought back against the unfair and cruel standards designated to us by our previous ancestors. We broke the boundaries of what we've known, and created new paths for our children, and for our children's children, to follow."

Sasuke stopped at this, because of the cheers of the crowd in the chapel. The hooting and hollering gave Sakura hope that he could in fact give a speech without it being about his revenge on his older brother, avenging his clan, last avenger, etc...

"Today," Sasuke began once the cheers died down. "We sacrifice this pure lamb to our God, thanking him for what we have...And for what we've gained." At this, Sasuke looked at Sakura.

"God decided to grace us with my future wife, who will rule by my side over our kingdom." Sasuke smiled at her, and Sakura felt her heart skip a beat. "Together, we will guide our kingdom into a new era of freedom and peace. We will fight for you all, and you all will find the same freedom that we both have."

On impulse, Sasuke grabbed Sakura's hand in his own.

"The new era, begins with this sacrifice! Praise be!" He finished.

Sakura was suddenly torn from her peaceful daydreaming when she heard these words.

Sasuke placed her hand on the blade, and put his hand over hers. He just finished the most amazing speech ever-

"I cant do it." Sakura said over the clamor of yelling and cheering.

"Can't do what?"

"Kill it. I can't kill it!" She replied, a hint of desperation creeping into her voice.

"Are you joking?!"

"_Do you really think I'd joke at a time like this?!_" She replied. The crowd had still failed to notice that the lamb was still alive, and were still cheering at seeing the soon-to-be-wed couple about to sacrifice a lamb to their God.

"Here, I'll do it-"

"We both have to do it!"

"Fine, then let's do it."

"What are-?!"

Sasuke forced Sakura's hand and his forward, successfully stabbing the lamb in the throat.

Sakura closed her eyes at this, refusing to look.

It was still odd...She could perform a surgery, no problem, but seeing an animal get stabbed? Nope. Count her out.

Sasuke pulled both their hands away, and raised the blade towards the ceiling, still holding Sakura's hand on the hilt.

"It is done!" He yelled. The crowd cheered louder, and clapped their approval.

"I need to leave." Sakura said to him. Sasuke would've normally told her to suck it up, (She was a medic nin after all. She dealt with blood and death all of the time, this should be no different.), but something in her expression made the words die in his throat.

Instead, he nodded and they set down the blade on the altar next to the still twitching corpse of the bloody lamb.

The minister stepped back to the altar, and smiled at them. "Congratulations on your first sacrifice. You both can leave if you want to." He grinned at them. Sasuke nodded and Sakura smiled weakly.

"And now we begin the Separation!" The minister called to the crowd as Sasuke and Sakura exited the chapel.

By the entrance, a carriage was already awaiting them. Lucky for them, or else they would've had to walk back to the castle.

The footman opened the door for them, and they climbed in.

As Sasuke was getting in, the footman laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Is my lady feeling well?"

Sasuke shook his head. "She thinks she has a cold you see..." He said. Even to him, his excuse sounded weak.

However, the footman didn't question and instead closed the door behind Sasuke, and went back to the driver's seat.

"Oh god..." Sakura muttered. Her face was pale, and she looked squeamish.

"Are...are you okay?" Sasuke asked hesitantly.

"Oh yea!" Sakura said sarcastically, and rolled her eyes. "I'm feeling just peachy!"

"I was trying to show concern, sorry for attempting to care." Sasuke replied coldly.

Sakura sighed, and leaned her head against the side of the carriage. "Sorry...I just can't handle animals."

"That's sort of unusual...considering you're a doctor."

"It is, isn't it?" She replied quietly, staring out the little side window. "I just can't stand their blood. And you're right...it's really weird. But I've always felt that way..." She trailed off, staring out the window once again at the passing scenery.

The carriage rattled on, hitting every single dip and bump in the road.

"God..." Sakura groaned. Color was beginning to return to her face, and she looked greenish. "Are we almost there?" She asked.

"I'm not-" Suddenly, Sasuke and Sakura were thrown forward off of the little cushioned benches, and hit the other side of the carriage.

"What the hell?" Sasuke snapped, pulling himself up, and opening the door. He stepped out, leaving Sakura inside to deal with her own sickness. She was a medic and a ninja. She'd be fine.

He walked to the front of the carriage, and saw the footman was missing. They were stopped along a muddy road in the middle of a forest. The horses seemed skittish, and so Sasuke went to calm them down. The last thing the needed now was the carriage to be pulled away. The clothes he was wearing had to be kept clean, considering the Sasuke of this universe was vain, and seemed to relish his outfits and good-looks.

"Step away from the carriage!"

Sasuke turned to look into the woods, nonplussed. He couldn't see due to the thick foliage, but that didn't really concern him. It would be all too easy to activate his Sharingan, and see who was out there.

But since chakra didn't exist in this world, he couldn't do that unfortunately...Otherwise he might cause a mass panic.

"Hands up I said!" The voice yelled again. Sasuke rolled his eyes, and put up his hands.

"Step away from the horses and the carriage now."

Again, Sasuke followed the instructions. Suddenly, the bushes rustled and out walked a man wearing a brown sack cloth over his head. Three other men followed him, and from Sasuke's right and left, two more men stepped out.

All of them were carrying crossbows.

"Is there anyone else in there?" The first man asked roughly, pointing at the carriage behind him.

"No-"

"Check it." He interrupted.

The second man stepped past Sasuke, Flinging open the door, he revealed Sakura, who looked surprised to see Sasuke standing there with his hands raised in defeat.

"Out now!" Second man roared.

Sakura slowly stepped out of the carriage, and stood by Sasuke.

"What's happening?" She whispered.

"I think they're trying to rob us."

"Shut up!" The first man, who Sasuke presumed was the leader, yelled at them. "Unless you want to end up like your little driver here." He pointed at the forest, where again, out walked two men holding a bloody footman.

Sasuke and Sakura didn't react to the hurt, and possibly dead, man. They'd both seen much, much worse in the war, and on missions. Seeing an injured man was nothing compared to that.

Obviously, the thugs expected a different reaction, because they all looked confused at both Sasuke and Sakura's indifference to the man's injuries.

"Playing brave huh?" The leader said, glaring at them through the holes in the bag.

"No. I'm not playing brave. Bravery gets people killed." Sasuke said, staring directly at the man. He could already tell that this man had a lot of false bravado. Probably a show either for his men, or for him and Sakura.

Either way, this man was starting to grate on Sasuke's already frayed nerves.

"If you don't mind," Sasuke suddenly said, standing up. He was done pretending. He was done with this universe, and as much as it hurt his pride, he wanted to go home. "We'll be leaving."

"Back on your knees, you bastard!" The leader yelled in his nasally voice.

"No."

"You-!" Suddenly, the man's eyes widened in surprise and fear.

Sasuke had activated his Mangekyou.

"What-What is this devilry?!" He said, and took a step back. Sakura immediately jumped in front of Sasuke.

"Sasuke, no!" She said staring up at him imploringly. "We can't hurt them! Remember you were the one who said we have to act better-!"

"I'm done acting." He interrupted. "We're finished here. If any of them try to stop us from leaving," At this, Sasuke glared at the men. "I will kill them. They'll be dead before their bodies hit the ground."

"We have to play along-"

"Screw that." Sasuke finally looked at Sakura, who suddenly looked so small and fragile compared to the rage of the Uchiha. Sakura would've perhaps shrunk back from his sharp and piercing gaze had she not been so hell-bent on protecting the robbers from a slow and painful death.

Which was odd, seeing as they were already guilty of many crimes prior. Sasuke saw him killing them as a retribution for all of their previous victims.

"Do you really think we're scared of you?" One of the men behind the leader stepped forward with a scoff. "It's just a trick of the light..."

For everyone present, the color of the world faded away to black and gray, with a blood red sky. Sakura and the rest of the men were caught up in Sasuke's genjutsu.

"What the hell-?" One of them began, and was cut off. Quite literally. His head rolled to the leader's feet, and blood spurted from his headless neck.

A chorus of screams arose from the group of thugs. They'd never been subjected to this horror before.

"Sasuke stop!" Sakura yelled. Sasuke and her stood on a boulder in the genjutsu, as the ground around them turned to lava and began to slowly eat away at the robbers standing in it.

Their screams and cries of pain did not affect Sasuke, watched the men burn and melt.

"Sasuke! Please!" Sakura cried desperately. He was blowing their cover with this. She also felt a strange stab of sympathy for the poor men.

Sasuke ignored Sakura's pleas for their mercy, and continued the genjustu, savoring the men's fear that was rolling off of them in waves.

Not knowing how to snap Sasuke out of his blood-lust driven haze, Sakura could merely watch, while Sasuke proceeded to kill the men in a thousand different ways.

She tried to escape the genjustu, but he'd made it practically air-tight enough that it was inescapable unless he released it, or someone from the outside released her.

The jutsu lengthened to a month. The men were killed over and over, countless different and painful ways. Sakura was forced to wait out the time with the robbers in the jutsu. Perhaps he couldn't release her without releasing them as well.

Whatever it was, she was oddly content there. At first, the screams bothered her, reminding her of lost patients on the battlefield, but then suddenly, she was in a field.

A beautiful green meadow, with a cabin and animals gathered around. The flowers were blooming, and Sakura could smell the warmth emanating from the sun.

She closed her eyes to take it all in. It was unusually considerate of Sasuke...That he made a genjutsu just for her-

"Not _just _for you." He interrupted her thoughts.

Turning back around, her eyes first landed on the green hillside, then upon Sasuke, who was sitting in the grass, surrounded by daffodils.

"I made this place for me...to sort of calm down." He continued, then trailed off, playing with a blade of grass.

Sakura made her way over to him, and slowly sat down near him.

"How long have we really been in this genjutsu?" She asked.

"Two minutes." He replied. "Though to the rest of you, it's been a month."

"So...it takes you that long to calm down? Two minutes?" She joked.

Sasuke didn't smile or answer. The blade of grass in his hand began to turn different colors as he touched it.

"I can't do it. I can't pretend to be someone I'm not." He muttered.

Sakura watched him play with the grass. Sasuke had changed a lot since his return to Konoha, and their trip to this world. He'd slowly began to open up more, and talk more often than not. It was refreshing compared to how his child self would deal with problems. Brood, ponder, and reflect. No communication whatsoever.

"Then let's stop."

"What?"

Sakura looked up at the jutsu sun and laid on her back, eyes closed.

"Let's no pretend we're in love. Let's not pretend that I'm a bitch who hates people, and you're a stupid wimpy prince. We'll just be ourselves, and if anyone says anything...I'll punch them."

Sasuke stared blankly at the pinkette laying in the grass. She'd failed to notice how their attire had been changed from their dresses and fancy clothing back to their regular ninja clothes in the genjutsu.

Sasuke liked her better like that. Looking like her regular self, he found himself oddly drawn to her. Not in just a romantic way, but in a sort of friendship type of manner as well. They'd both shared in this crazy adventure of playing prince and princess' and that had undeniably formed _some _sort of a bond.

Sasuke realized in that millisecond (In the genjutsu it'd been a month, but in real life it was just now hitting 2 minutes and thirty-four seconds) within those two minutes, that'd he'd begun to have feelings for the tough pink-haired kunoichi.

It was them sitting in a meadow, on a hillside, surrounded by daffodils, with a bright sun, all of which did not exist, did he realize.

It was her gentle smile directed towards the clear sky, probably thinking about her stupid friend Naruto, wearing the same clothes she wore when she first fought him in Amegakure, that made his heart speed up.

Though it wasn't actually a conscious decision on his part that he liked her...He did in fact like her. He liked her very much.

That was the moment of time in which Sasuke Uchiha unofficially fell in love with Sakura Haruno.

* * *

**Aha! I have completed it for you! And it's very long too! (Rhymes galore.) There's a little bit of fluff for you at the end. And thank you for reading!**

**(Many apologizes if it was a bit too rushed.) **

**R&amp;R**


	12. Chapter 12

"So that's the whole thing My Lady?"

"That's the whole thing."

Konan leaned back in Sakura's wooden chair, the top edge of the wooden frame hit the front of the make-up stand in Sakura's room. "That is an interesting tale."

When Sasuke and Sakura got back, they quickly correlated pieces of separate stories to concoct a believable story of their fantastic escape from a group of robbers with their driver being dead, and them somehow escaping practically unscathed.

They were also now going to start just acting how they wanted without pretending to be the Sakura and Sasuke of this realm. Sakura's idea caught on quickly with him. Sasuke's reasoning was that since they were to inherit the Uchiha throne, they were unlikely to be questioned of their odd personality flips.

Also, people were too scared of Other Sasuke's wrath and believed his anger to be the same, even if he acted differently.

"So you escaped them how again?" Kei asked confusedly from the floor, sitting next to Konan.

Sakura sighed heavily. "I've told you guys twice already. You already know. Now, can I be alone?"

"Actually," Konan and Kei exchanged sheepish looks. "It's time for dinner."

Sakura groaned louder, and fell backwards on the bed. "I'm not changing Konan."

"But My Lady-"

"Not happening. If they try to yell at you, tell me. I will personally see to it that whatever fool questions you won't ever have kids."

Konan and Kei gasped in shock.

"My Lady!" Konan said, a scandalized and surprised look crossing her features.

"Lady Sakura I didn't know you even _knew _those words!" Kei grinned widely, giving her a thumbs up. "Cool!"

"Not cool!" Konan replied heatedly. "Why-?"

"Sakura." Sasuke's voice came from the door, which was then opened to reveal him also in his casual clothes. It seemed he refused to change as well.

"My Prince! Where are your dinner clothes?!" Konan cried jumping up from the chair. "What on earth are you two thinking?!"

"I'm thinking that I don't care." Sasuke replied coldly, and held out an arm for Sakura to hold. "Coming?" He asked her, without taking his eyes off of Konan.

Sakura raised an eyebrow at Sasuke, curiously observing his cold gaze to the blue-haired woman. "Of course."

She linked her arm through his, and they left Konan and Kei behind in Sakura's room.

"What was that weird stare-off you had with Konan?" Sakura asked as they walked.

"Nothing- I just... Nothing."

"Okay," She said. "Now I _know _it's something."

A muscle in Sasuke's jaw clenched tightly, and Sakura continued to watch him and wait for an adequate answer.

What she didn't realize was that Konan had once created a paper clone fashioned to look like Sakura, then proceeded to kill her repeatedly, one hundred different ways.

This was when Sasuke first joined the Akatsuki with Team Taka. Konan wanted to test his loyalty to his team and to the Akatsuki, so she decided to provoke in him in the worst way possible.

By killing his teammate that he loved.

At first, she started with the Third Hokage. Nothing. No emotion. Then Tsunade. Then Kakashi, Jiraiya, and the rest of the Konoha 12.

She created a Naruto clone and had him bleeding and crying and begging Sasuke for help. Sasuke stood impassively and asked her if she was finished with her petty games.

But then suddenly, the papers formed a familiar soft featured pink-haired girl Sasuke knew all too well.

Sakura stood there, perfectly fine. She tilted her head slightly and smiled kindly at him.

"Sasuke, I love you."

Sasuke didn't move. He felt nothing. But the way she said it... It wasn't like the other times. It was like when he left Konoha, only much more intense.

It was intense because she said it with such a sureness. She sounded perfectly content to love him, like it was no big deal.

Her face suddenly became contorted in pain as a barrage of kunai struck her from every direction.

"Sasuke," She choked out, then coughed violently, spraying blood over the ground. "Please. I- I... I love you. H- Help me..."

Sasuke hadn't moved, but Konan saw a flicker of something in his eyes. The paper clone disappeared, and the genjutsu was dispelled. The Akatsuki now knew Sasuke's one and only weakness. Sakura Haruno.

That was why upon seeing the blue-haired woman again brought back harsh memories and why he had a cold demeanor towards her. Even if the Konan of this universe had never done that, they shared the same face.

_'So can you judge everyone in this universe by the mistakes of another from a different universe? Can you judge them for sins they never committed, but their counterparts did?' _Sasuke thought.

"It's nothing." He replied with a sort of finality that made Sakura decide against questioning further. He would tell her, but how do you tell someone that you watched them die?

They arrived at the dining hall, and the doors were opened by the servants.

"Sasuke! And Sakura! What a- a delight!" His mother said. She faltered slightly upon seeing both of their informal attire.

"Mother, good to see you again." He said politely. Then nodded to his father and ignored his brother who had sat up at their entrance.

"Sasuke, what on earth-?"

"I feel tired. So does Sakura. We will take our dinner upstairs tonight." Sasuke interrupted. It felt nice, to exert some sort of control over his father. His father turned tomato red with anger.

"Why didn't you just send a servant to inform us?" Mikoto asked confused.

Sasuke frowned, and Sakura held back a laugh. Apparently that thought didn't occur to him. Sakura didn't even know that they would be dining in their rooms. She assumed they'd dine in the dining hall, and just didn't care enough to put on those god-awful tight corsets and the equally tight dresses.

"I guessed that you would most likely punish them for our tardiness. So I decide to tell you in person."

"Sasuke-" Fugaku began, his anger evident in his first word.

"Goodnight Mother and Father." Sasuke interrupted.

"Goodnight King Fugaku and Queen Mikoto." Sakura called over her shoulder as Sasuke dragged her out with him.

They walked back to their rooms in silence until the arrival of their bright and loud-mouthed friend.

"Hey Teme-chan! Why are you and Sakura acting so weird?" He said falling into step beside Sasuke, and flinging his arm around Sasuke's shoulders.

"Why do you want to know?" Sasuke replied boredly.

"Hinata told me to, and I'm quoting here, 'discreetly uncover what the crown prince and his newly betrothed are really up to'. Of course, you and I both know that I'm bad at that so I figured I'd be direct."

"We're not the Sakura and Sasuke you actually know. We came from an alternate universe from a blue book." He replied.

Naruto laughed merrily. "That's hilarious Teme! But really," He stopped Sasuke, thus stopping Sakura. "What's up with you two?"

"It's exactly as he said." Sakura replied. "Only in our universe we have something called chakra that allows us to- Hey Naruto, what's wrong?"

Naruto had gone pale, and stepped away from Sasuke and Sakura.

"Did- Did you say..." His voice dropped to a terrified whisper. "Chakra?"

"Yes, why-? Naruto where are you going?!" Sakura called to the retreating form Naruto who took off running down the corridor.

"Way to go Sakura." Sasuke said with a chuckle.

"Oh shut it." She rolled her eyes, but felt secretly pleased that she'd managed to make him chuckle.

Little did they both know, Naruto had gone to alert Hinata of his findings. Thus beginning the spiral of events that would change them all.

* * *

**A little short, but it's fine. 1,335 words is pretty good for just a free-writing session. And besides, I felt bored and decided to write. Plus, this starts the beginning of the real plot! :D**

**R&amp;R**


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